Summary: Being isolated for his entire life, Ryou finds himself fascinated
with a stranger that stumbles into his world. Fascination turns to love,
and he is forced to make a decision: escape and risk the chance of being
put to death or stay and face a future he doesn't want. Can love overpower
an empire that has lasted for centuries? *YAOI**Seto/Ryou**AU*
This is a fiction being done for a request. Relinquished has requested that I write a fantasy story with the main pairing being Seto/Ryou. Because the fantasy genre is new to me, this story will take time and a lot of planning. I do hope that you all will bear with me on the long journey that this story will take, because I do plan on this being a good one. I hope you all enjoy it as well.
For Relinquished, this is your story. I hope that you like it the most of all.
Disclaimer: I do not own YGO and I do not claim to. This story is not meant to offend anyone, and I have only created it for enjoyment purposes.
Aboriá is pronounced ab-or-I-uh
Kindré is pronounced kin-DRAY
Niege is pronounced kneesh
Ryou Bakura = Ryou É Bello
Yami Bakura = Bakura É Bello
James Bakura (Ryou's Father) = King É Bello
Seto Kaiba's Father = King Niege
Seto Kaiba = Seto Niege
Yami Yugi = Yami Mouto
Yugi Mouto = Yugi Mirani
Joey Wheeler = Josef "Joey" White
Teá Gardener (she will not make an actual appearance in this story, but she will be mentioned) = Teá Kindré
"Blah" Speaking
'Blah' Thoughts
-Blah- Emphasized Words
*~*~~*~* Scene Change
*~* Flashback or Dream *~*
~*~ Character Focus Switch ~*~
~~* Blah *~~ Diary Entries
*~*~~*~~~*~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~*~~~*~~*~*
Aboriá
*~*~~*~~~*~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~*~~~*~~*~*
~~* Diary,
The dawn of today marks the beginning of my seventeenth year. Among the hills of Aboriá, I have fulfilled my first, and most important, years. I have but one year left before I am sent away to Kindré to marry the princess, a fate that I am not at all pleased with. Bakura urges me to tell my father of this opposition, but I fear exile if I voice my opinion. Father has become quite persuasive in his years, and he usually gets all that he wishes for. Whether it is the hills of a distant land or the women of his regal choice, his kingdom dotes upon him.
I can only wonder what fate has in store for me, besides a future that I do not care for. My feelings mean nothing in this matter, for I have been isolated to all but a simple few, and have been made to be the most careful and graceful person capable. The blood that runs through my veins is the last of my kin, and it is up to me to continue it. Bakura has been overlooked in this matter because of his insubordinate behavior with our father. Our father does not tolerate any kind of misbehaving, and that includes defying him. The only reason why Bakura is still alive today is because of his importance in the running of the country, even if he has had all of his powers revoked.
My only wish upon my birthday is that someone will come and take me away from this prison known as my home. If it is an enemy, then I will open my arms and let them take me. If it is a friend, then I will go to them without a second thought. I know that this wish will never be fulfilled, but I can dream. I can dream of a future where I can make decisions about myself.
It is here that I must end this entry for Bakura is calling for me. I do believe that he is taking me to the horses this afternoon, in order to present me with my gift, that I have secretly been told is the white stallion that I have had my eye on for a while.
Happy Birthday to me!
Ryou É Bello Upon my seventeenth year of life in the year of the rose. *~~
Ryou shut the leather-bound book that lie on his desk with a sigh. Bakura was indeed calling, and not at all in the manner that a prince of his stature should be. His rough, deeply accented voice echoed through the halls of Ryou's wing of the castle. Ryou stood from his desk and went over to the mirror that was hung upon the far wall of his bedroom.
His appearance was not the same one that had always peered out of the mirror at him. Today, his long silver hair had been brushed back into a low ponytail, and a thin band of silver ran around his forehead. He was dressed in the traditional attire for a prince's seventeenth year: a white silk tunic that ran to the floor. The long sleeves of the shirt underneath were a deep shade of blue, as were the pants beneath the tunic. A band of gold twisted up each of his arms, but they were thin enough to allow free movement. Later that day, in the ceremony to re-crown him prince in front of the king himself, and his advisors, a jewel incrusted cape would be placed upon his shoulders, and he would be shown to the kingdom for the first time since birth.
Being the last of a royal and important bloodline, Ryou had been isolated for his entire life. He was allowed to see only his brother, father, caretakers and a teen named Yugi. Yugi was only allowed to see Ryou because when they were much younger, Yugi had wandered off and found Ryou playing in his room. They played for hours, and when Yugi's nurse finally found him, Ryou used his authority to order her to let Yugi stay. The king had been informed, and found it a laughing matter that a child had ordered a nurse. He allowed Ryou to keep Yugi as a playmate and friend, and over their years together, they had created a close friendship.
Ryou turned from the mirror when his brother entered the room with a loud bang of the door. Bakura was dressed as normal, obviously not wanting to wear the ceremonial outfit just yet. Ryou smiled at him when Bakura kneeled down in front of him with a smirk and a bow.
"My dear prince, Ryou. How are you on this fine morning of your seventeenth birthday?"
Ryou laughed and pulled his brother up by the cuff of his shirt. "I'm fine. Have you come to wish me a happy birthday only, or are there plans for the day?"
Bakura smirked and placed an arm around his brother's shoulders, steering him out of the room. "I have come to take you to the stables. Your gift is happily awaiting you, and I have permission from his Royal Highness to take you riding."
Ryou smiled. "You can drop the prim and proper talk now, Bakura. It's just us."
Bakura grinned. "I know. I like to mock my position as often as necessary to piss Father off."
"You do that quite often."
"Yep. And it's all the more reason to annoy him."
Ryou winced as the bright light that poured through the windows in the hall blinded his eyes. "Are you -trying- to get thrown out?"
Bakura looked down at his brother and smirked. "You know it. I'm tired of being here. The only good thing about it is that I can see you, and Malik will most likely have to stay here when I go."
Ryou frowned. Malik was Bakura's personal servant and possibly his best friend and more. Ryou himself had always liked the boy as a friend. He was the type of person to light up a room when he walked into it. "I hope that you'll be able to take him when you move to your castle."
Bakura smiled at his brother. "I hope so too. And if Father ever gets off of his high horse and let you marry whoever you wish, I'd like to take you until you married."
Ryou gave his brother a small hug before they stepped into the main hall, where many servants were bustling in and out. Bakura was never emotional around anyone but Ryou and Malik. When he was around others, he would become as cold as ice. "I'd love that. But you know that Father is set on my marrying Teá. He believes her to be the best suited in continuing our blood."
Bakura snorted and removed his arm from Ryou's shoulder. "That girl is possibly the ugliest thing I have ever seen in." His face slipped into its familiar stony outlook as soon as the doors were open.
Servants scurried about, many of them trying to get out of the princes' way. Nobody in that castle would live to see another day if they somehow disrupted the two princes when they were together. Bakura was quite strict when it came to what he wanted and when he wanted it, and was known to have servants killed for disobeying him. Ryou on the other hand was noted for his kindness, but he could do nothing to stop Bakura if he wished to remove a servant for good.
They were on the grounds soon enough. Aboriá was known for it's beauty and it lived up to its reputation. Hills floated on the land, and trees were nearly everywhere. Horses roamed the land freely in the distance, and the sky was often a vocal point to many, no matter what the weather was. It could be in the dead of winter and the sky would be the most beautiful shade of gray blue. It could be storming and the lightning would race across the sky, scaring many, but exciting most. Ryou loved his homeland, and hated the idea of leaving it for Kindré, which was cold and stormy almost year round.
Ryou beamed and ran ahead when he caught sight of the stable master, who was holding the reins of a gorgeous, tall, muscular, white stallion. He gave over the reins with a smile and a bow. Ryou thanked the man, who blushed, and ran his hands along the soft hair of the horse. Bakura smiled and went to find his own horse, Thunder, a black mustang.
Bakura rode up behind Ryou and smirked at the look on Ryou's face. Awe and adoration were shining in his eyes, and a large smile hadn't left his face. "Her name is Mystic. Happy Birthday, Ryou."
Ryou clasped his brother's hand for a moment before pulling himself unto Mystic's back. She whinnied before setting off in a slow trot behind Thunder.
*~*~~*~*
Ryou steadied Mystic's reins when he caught sight of a parade of carriages and horses entering the castle grounds. Bakura stopped next to him and watched for a moment before answering Ryou's silent question.
"It's King Niege and his son. They're here for the ceremony tonight and to make some kind of a land deal with Father."
Ryou nodded. It didn't really matter who they were. Ryou would never be allowed to meet them anyway. He was restricted to a few people, and he had never ventured anywhere besides the ground and his wing of the castle.
Bakura looked up at the sky and noted that it was almost sundown. Pulling on Thunder's reins, he turned to Ryou, who was looking wistfully at the land beyond the castle grounds. "We'd better get you in. It's almost time, and I have to dress."
Ryou nodded and pulled the reins. "Let's go back, Mystic."
Mystic began to gallop in the direction of the stables, which were just a speck from their distance.
*~*~~*~*
~*~ Seto ~*~
Seto watched the scenery pass by uninterested from his carriage window. He and his father were now inside the castle grounds of King É Bello, on their way to a ceremony for the youngest prince and to make a deal concerning their boarders. He would have proffered to stay at the castle, by himself, but it was tradition for the first son to travel with his father to ceremonies, and he didn't want to argue with his father that day.
Something on the grounds caught his eye. He saw a flash of silver or gold before the sight of two young men riding bareback on two beautiful horses met his eyes. The younger one, it seemed, was riding the prettiest stallion he had ever seen, while the man next to him was riding a black mustang. His eyes stayed on the form of the younger one though. There was something about the young man that held him captivated. Something about the way he held himself.
Seto snapped himself out of his daze. It had been quite a while since he lost control of his gaze like that, and he wasn't willing to let it happen again. Emotions were unneeded hindrances, especially where he came from.
*~*~~*~*
~*~ Ryou ~*~
Ryou sighed as he was led to the ballroom, where his crowning would occur. He would be facing the largest amount of people he had ever seen in his life, and he was shaking from his nerves. Bakura was walking ahead of him, dressed in the ceremonious robes of the oldest prince. The red robes fit Bakura wonderfully and with his hair loose and wild, he looked even better than their father did. 'He should be King, not Father,' was the only thought that entered Ryou's mind as he followed the servants following Bakura into the ballroom.
Bakura entered the doors, and the servants paused, waiting for their cue to let Ryou inside. The booming voice of the priest, who presented each of the Royal Family, echoed through the shut doors.
"I present to you the eldest Prince of Aboriá, Bakura 'The Ice Prince' É Bello." Quiet applause met his ears, and Ryou could hear the scuffle of several people moving to bow to Bakura.
The servants opened the doors and bowed to Ryou as he walked slowly into the room. "And I now present to you, upon his seventeenth birthday, the youngest Prince of Aboriá, Ryou 'The Silver Prince' É Bello." Ryou paused in front of the priest, who cut Ryou's finger with a jeweled blade, and held the bleeding finger over a rose. Three drops of blood fell onto the petals, and Ryou was handed a white rag to wrap his finger in, and the rose. Ryou bowed to the priest and went over to his father where he kneeled on one knee, the hand holding the rose outstretched.
"My Father, I wish to become part of the Royal Table. I wish to be remembered in the Hall of the Great Ones alongside you and my brother. May I have those honors?" Ryou spoke the words that his brother and father and grandfather and so on had to speak on their seventeenth birthdays quietly.
Ryou's father, the King, took the rose and his son's hand. Bringing Ryou to his feet, he took his sword from his belt and leaned it against Ryou's shoulder. "My son, 'The Silver Prince', I give you permission. You will rest in peace when your time comes alongside your brother and I, as will your sons. May your seventeenth year be as good as your sixteenth, and may your eighteenth be the best."
Ryou kneeled as his father marked him, and stood again when the priest moved over, the long, jewel incrusted cape in hand. The priest tied it around his shoulders and throat with a prayer and turned him to face all the people present. Several Kings and their first born sons were present, as was all of the Royal Family, and most of the wealthier men in the country. He was handed the rose, and moved over to the King from the neighboring country, King Niege. Ryou kneeled and held out the rose.
"I give you this gift as a promise. In the future, we shall be allies, and friends. Our countries will be prosperous, as well as our families." Ryou kept his head bowed, but looked the King straight in the eye when his shoulder was touched and the rose was taken.
"I return the promise. May your heart stay pure, Silver Prince."
Ryou nodded and waited for the servants to lift the edge of the cape so he could walk properly over to his brother and father's side. The priest presented the Royal Three to their visitors, and announced that that evening there would be a feast held in Ryou's honor. Ryou winced when the priest made that announcement. He wouldn't be present for the dinner. His father had said that there were too many people and someone may try to attack him. Bakura nudged Ryou with his elbow, a way of comforting the teen and telling him that he would be in Ryou's rooms tonight to eat with him. Ryou smiled softly and scanned the crowd, his eyes dancing over every face, but pausing as they landed on King Niege's son, who was looking at something distractedly. Ryou tried to remember the prince's name, but was unsuccessful until the prince turned and looked at him.
Sapphire eyes bore into his own and the prince's name echoed in Ryou's mind as he remembered it. 'Seto "The Sapphire Prince" Niege.' Ryou's heart jumped to his throat, and he looked away nervously.
*~*~~*~*
Ryou stared out over the lands of Aboriá from his balcony outside his room. Bakura had just left, his father calling for him to join the feast, and the rooms in his wing of the castle were now quiet again.
The wind was tossing his loose, mid-back length hair around, and he sighed. It was going to storm soon. Ryou hated storms. He was always locked up in his rooms when it rained, forbidden to go outside and play in the rain like so many of the other teen boys did. He wasn't ever allowed to do anything a -normal- boy would, he was always 'The Silver Prince', the most important person in the Royal Family at the moment. If anything ever happened to him, their bloodline wouldn't be able to be continued, and their family name would fall to ruins. His father wouldn't allow Bakura to be named King and take a wife. Bakura had openly defied him many times, and anyone who even -thought- of disobeying wasn't worthy of running a country.
Several curses and the sound of a shattering vase disturbed the silence of the night quite loudly, however.
Ryou stepped back into his room and walked over to the door. He cautiously opened it and peered down the hall before stepping out and raising an eyebrow at the intruder.
"Is there something I can help you with?"
~*~ Seto ~*~
"Is there something I can help you with?" The question was soft, and alert.
Seto looked up from where he had been cursing the vase he had just broken. He had gotten lost on his way to his rooms, as he didn't pay much attention to the directions that his father gave him. He had wandered for a while until he found himself in an extremely quiet area of the castle. Deciding that he would probably find someone to take him to his rooms, he ventured further until he came upon a lighted hallway. Suddenly remembering that he was in the wing of the castle that had been forbidden to go into, he turned on his heel and walked right into a vase. He cursed it several times before looking up into the face of the person who asked him the question.
He looked straight into the face of The Silver Prince, who was making cautious movements, and had a curious look on his face. His deep chocolate eyes were questioning, and his left eyebrow was raised. His eyes widened when he figured out who he was looking at, and the Silver Prince stepped back into his doorway. "You're not supposed to be here."
Seto rolled his eyes. "I know that," he said snappishly. "How the hell do I get back?"
Ryou opened his mouth to answer, but shut it abruptly with a look of fear on his face. He ran over, grabbed Seto's arm, and pulled him inside of his rooms. He slammed the door and motioned for Seto to go out onto the open balcony. Seto was about to say 'no' before a loud set of footsteps echoed down the hall and a knock on the door startled him.
Ryou motioned over to the balcony wildly before going over to the door and opening it. From the balcony, Seto could see three guards peering inside the room eagerly. The first one, the one who knocked on the door, opened his mouth and asked in a gruff voice, "Your Highness, how did that vase get broken? Did someone come down this hall?"
Ryou shook his head, his wild mane of hair rustling about. "Not a soul has been down this hallway. The vase was broken when a strong gust of wind came through my room from the balcony. There's a storm coming, as you can see." He pointed down the hall towards the large window at the end.
"We heard voices. Are you sure no one came down here?"
Ryou began to shut his door. "I'm positive. Now, would you kindly let me get back to my novel?" Ryou inserted a bit of annoyance in his voice.
The guard bowed hastily and nodded to the others before walking down the hallway. An angry prince was never a nice one in their opinion.
Ryou shut the door and turned around to face Seto, who was ready to open his mouth to make a comment.
"Why is the Prince of Dirana in -my- room when he should be at the feast?"
*~*~~*~~~*~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~*~~~*~~*~*
End Chapter One. Hope you enjoyed!
Updates will be every two weeks on Sunday evenings.
Please review and don't flame.
This is a fiction being done for a request. Relinquished has requested that I write a fantasy story with the main pairing being Seto/Ryou. Because the fantasy genre is new to me, this story will take time and a lot of planning. I do hope that you all will bear with me on the long journey that this story will take, because I do plan on this being a good one. I hope you all enjoy it as well.
For Relinquished, this is your story. I hope that you like it the most of all.
Disclaimer: I do not own YGO and I do not claim to. This story is not meant to offend anyone, and I have only created it for enjoyment purposes.
Aboriá is pronounced ab-or-I-uh
Kindré is pronounced kin-DRAY
Niege is pronounced kneesh
Ryou Bakura = Ryou É Bello
Yami Bakura = Bakura É Bello
James Bakura (Ryou's Father) = King É Bello
Seto Kaiba's Father = King Niege
Seto Kaiba = Seto Niege
Yami Yugi = Yami Mouto
Yugi Mouto = Yugi Mirani
Joey Wheeler = Josef "Joey" White
Teá Gardener (she will not make an actual appearance in this story, but she will be mentioned) = Teá Kindré
"Blah" Speaking
'Blah' Thoughts
-Blah- Emphasized Words
*~*~~*~* Scene Change
*~* Flashback or Dream *~*
~*~ Character Focus Switch ~*~
~~* Blah *~~ Diary Entries
*~*~~*~~~*~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~*~~~*~~*~*
Aboriá
*~*~~*~~~*~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~*~~~*~~*~*
~~* Diary,
The dawn of today marks the beginning of my seventeenth year. Among the hills of Aboriá, I have fulfilled my first, and most important, years. I have but one year left before I am sent away to Kindré to marry the princess, a fate that I am not at all pleased with. Bakura urges me to tell my father of this opposition, but I fear exile if I voice my opinion. Father has become quite persuasive in his years, and he usually gets all that he wishes for. Whether it is the hills of a distant land or the women of his regal choice, his kingdom dotes upon him.
I can only wonder what fate has in store for me, besides a future that I do not care for. My feelings mean nothing in this matter, for I have been isolated to all but a simple few, and have been made to be the most careful and graceful person capable. The blood that runs through my veins is the last of my kin, and it is up to me to continue it. Bakura has been overlooked in this matter because of his insubordinate behavior with our father. Our father does not tolerate any kind of misbehaving, and that includes defying him. The only reason why Bakura is still alive today is because of his importance in the running of the country, even if he has had all of his powers revoked.
My only wish upon my birthday is that someone will come and take me away from this prison known as my home. If it is an enemy, then I will open my arms and let them take me. If it is a friend, then I will go to them without a second thought. I know that this wish will never be fulfilled, but I can dream. I can dream of a future where I can make decisions about myself.
It is here that I must end this entry for Bakura is calling for me. I do believe that he is taking me to the horses this afternoon, in order to present me with my gift, that I have secretly been told is the white stallion that I have had my eye on for a while.
Happy Birthday to me!
Ryou É Bello Upon my seventeenth year of life in the year of the rose. *~~
Ryou shut the leather-bound book that lie on his desk with a sigh. Bakura was indeed calling, and not at all in the manner that a prince of his stature should be. His rough, deeply accented voice echoed through the halls of Ryou's wing of the castle. Ryou stood from his desk and went over to the mirror that was hung upon the far wall of his bedroom.
His appearance was not the same one that had always peered out of the mirror at him. Today, his long silver hair had been brushed back into a low ponytail, and a thin band of silver ran around his forehead. He was dressed in the traditional attire for a prince's seventeenth year: a white silk tunic that ran to the floor. The long sleeves of the shirt underneath were a deep shade of blue, as were the pants beneath the tunic. A band of gold twisted up each of his arms, but they were thin enough to allow free movement. Later that day, in the ceremony to re-crown him prince in front of the king himself, and his advisors, a jewel incrusted cape would be placed upon his shoulders, and he would be shown to the kingdom for the first time since birth.
Being the last of a royal and important bloodline, Ryou had been isolated for his entire life. He was allowed to see only his brother, father, caretakers and a teen named Yugi. Yugi was only allowed to see Ryou because when they were much younger, Yugi had wandered off and found Ryou playing in his room. They played for hours, and when Yugi's nurse finally found him, Ryou used his authority to order her to let Yugi stay. The king had been informed, and found it a laughing matter that a child had ordered a nurse. He allowed Ryou to keep Yugi as a playmate and friend, and over their years together, they had created a close friendship.
Ryou turned from the mirror when his brother entered the room with a loud bang of the door. Bakura was dressed as normal, obviously not wanting to wear the ceremonial outfit just yet. Ryou smiled at him when Bakura kneeled down in front of him with a smirk and a bow.
"My dear prince, Ryou. How are you on this fine morning of your seventeenth birthday?"
Ryou laughed and pulled his brother up by the cuff of his shirt. "I'm fine. Have you come to wish me a happy birthday only, or are there plans for the day?"
Bakura smirked and placed an arm around his brother's shoulders, steering him out of the room. "I have come to take you to the stables. Your gift is happily awaiting you, and I have permission from his Royal Highness to take you riding."
Ryou smiled. "You can drop the prim and proper talk now, Bakura. It's just us."
Bakura grinned. "I know. I like to mock my position as often as necessary to piss Father off."
"You do that quite often."
"Yep. And it's all the more reason to annoy him."
Ryou winced as the bright light that poured through the windows in the hall blinded his eyes. "Are you -trying- to get thrown out?"
Bakura looked down at his brother and smirked. "You know it. I'm tired of being here. The only good thing about it is that I can see you, and Malik will most likely have to stay here when I go."
Ryou frowned. Malik was Bakura's personal servant and possibly his best friend and more. Ryou himself had always liked the boy as a friend. He was the type of person to light up a room when he walked into it. "I hope that you'll be able to take him when you move to your castle."
Bakura smiled at his brother. "I hope so too. And if Father ever gets off of his high horse and let you marry whoever you wish, I'd like to take you until you married."
Ryou gave his brother a small hug before they stepped into the main hall, where many servants were bustling in and out. Bakura was never emotional around anyone but Ryou and Malik. When he was around others, he would become as cold as ice. "I'd love that. But you know that Father is set on my marrying Teá. He believes her to be the best suited in continuing our blood."
Bakura snorted and removed his arm from Ryou's shoulder. "That girl is possibly the ugliest thing I have ever seen in." His face slipped into its familiar stony outlook as soon as the doors were open.
Servants scurried about, many of them trying to get out of the princes' way. Nobody in that castle would live to see another day if they somehow disrupted the two princes when they were together. Bakura was quite strict when it came to what he wanted and when he wanted it, and was known to have servants killed for disobeying him. Ryou on the other hand was noted for his kindness, but he could do nothing to stop Bakura if he wished to remove a servant for good.
They were on the grounds soon enough. Aboriá was known for it's beauty and it lived up to its reputation. Hills floated on the land, and trees were nearly everywhere. Horses roamed the land freely in the distance, and the sky was often a vocal point to many, no matter what the weather was. It could be in the dead of winter and the sky would be the most beautiful shade of gray blue. It could be storming and the lightning would race across the sky, scaring many, but exciting most. Ryou loved his homeland, and hated the idea of leaving it for Kindré, which was cold and stormy almost year round.
Ryou beamed and ran ahead when he caught sight of the stable master, who was holding the reins of a gorgeous, tall, muscular, white stallion. He gave over the reins with a smile and a bow. Ryou thanked the man, who blushed, and ran his hands along the soft hair of the horse. Bakura smiled and went to find his own horse, Thunder, a black mustang.
Bakura rode up behind Ryou and smirked at the look on Ryou's face. Awe and adoration were shining in his eyes, and a large smile hadn't left his face. "Her name is Mystic. Happy Birthday, Ryou."
Ryou clasped his brother's hand for a moment before pulling himself unto Mystic's back. She whinnied before setting off in a slow trot behind Thunder.
*~*~~*~*
Ryou steadied Mystic's reins when he caught sight of a parade of carriages and horses entering the castle grounds. Bakura stopped next to him and watched for a moment before answering Ryou's silent question.
"It's King Niege and his son. They're here for the ceremony tonight and to make some kind of a land deal with Father."
Ryou nodded. It didn't really matter who they were. Ryou would never be allowed to meet them anyway. He was restricted to a few people, and he had never ventured anywhere besides the ground and his wing of the castle.
Bakura looked up at the sky and noted that it was almost sundown. Pulling on Thunder's reins, he turned to Ryou, who was looking wistfully at the land beyond the castle grounds. "We'd better get you in. It's almost time, and I have to dress."
Ryou nodded and pulled the reins. "Let's go back, Mystic."
Mystic began to gallop in the direction of the stables, which were just a speck from their distance.
*~*~~*~*
~*~ Seto ~*~
Seto watched the scenery pass by uninterested from his carriage window. He and his father were now inside the castle grounds of King É Bello, on their way to a ceremony for the youngest prince and to make a deal concerning their boarders. He would have proffered to stay at the castle, by himself, but it was tradition for the first son to travel with his father to ceremonies, and he didn't want to argue with his father that day.
Something on the grounds caught his eye. He saw a flash of silver or gold before the sight of two young men riding bareback on two beautiful horses met his eyes. The younger one, it seemed, was riding the prettiest stallion he had ever seen, while the man next to him was riding a black mustang. His eyes stayed on the form of the younger one though. There was something about the young man that held him captivated. Something about the way he held himself.
Seto snapped himself out of his daze. It had been quite a while since he lost control of his gaze like that, and he wasn't willing to let it happen again. Emotions were unneeded hindrances, especially where he came from.
*~*~~*~*
~*~ Ryou ~*~
Ryou sighed as he was led to the ballroom, where his crowning would occur. He would be facing the largest amount of people he had ever seen in his life, and he was shaking from his nerves. Bakura was walking ahead of him, dressed in the ceremonious robes of the oldest prince. The red robes fit Bakura wonderfully and with his hair loose and wild, he looked even better than their father did. 'He should be King, not Father,' was the only thought that entered Ryou's mind as he followed the servants following Bakura into the ballroom.
Bakura entered the doors, and the servants paused, waiting for their cue to let Ryou inside. The booming voice of the priest, who presented each of the Royal Family, echoed through the shut doors.
"I present to you the eldest Prince of Aboriá, Bakura 'The Ice Prince' É Bello." Quiet applause met his ears, and Ryou could hear the scuffle of several people moving to bow to Bakura.
The servants opened the doors and bowed to Ryou as he walked slowly into the room. "And I now present to you, upon his seventeenth birthday, the youngest Prince of Aboriá, Ryou 'The Silver Prince' É Bello." Ryou paused in front of the priest, who cut Ryou's finger with a jeweled blade, and held the bleeding finger over a rose. Three drops of blood fell onto the petals, and Ryou was handed a white rag to wrap his finger in, and the rose. Ryou bowed to the priest and went over to his father where he kneeled on one knee, the hand holding the rose outstretched.
"My Father, I wish to become part of the Royal Table. I wish to be remembered in the Hall of the Great Ones alongside you and my brother. May I have those honors?" Ryou spoke the words that his brother and father and grandfather and so on had to speak on their seventeenth birthdays quietly.
Ryou's father, the King, took the rose and his son's hand. Bringing Ryou to his feet, he took his sword from his belt and leaned it against Ryou's shoulder. "My son, 'The Silver Prince', I give you permission. You will rest in peace when your time comes alongside your brother and I, as will your sons. May your seventeenth year be as good as your sixteenth, and may your eighteenth be the best."
Ryou kneeled as his father marked him, and stood again when the priest moved over, the long, jewel incrusted cape in hand. The priest tied it around his shoulders and throat with a prayer and turned him to face all the people present. Several Kings and their first born sons were present, as was all of the Royal Family, and most of the wealthier men in the country. He was handed the rose, and moved over to the King from the neighboring country, King Niege. Ryou kneeled and held out the rose.
"I give you this gift as a promise. In the future, we shall be allies, and friends. Our countries will be prosperous, as well as our families." Ryou kept his head bowed, but looked the King straight in the eye when his shoulder was touched and the rose was taken.
"I return the promise. May your heart stay pure, Silver Prince."
Ryou nodded and waited for the servants to lift the edge of the cape so he could walk properly over to his brother and father's side. The priest presented the Royal Three to their visitors, and announced that that evening there would be a feast held in Ryou's honor. Ryou winced when the priest made that announcement. He wouldn't be present for the dinner. His father had said that there were too many people and someone may try to attack him. Bakura nudged Ryou with his elbow, a way of comforting the teen and telling him that he would be in Ryou's rooms tonight to eat with him. Ryou smiled softly and scanned the crowd, his eyes dancing over every face, but pausing as they landed on King Niege's son, who was looking at something distractedly. Ryou tried to remember the prince's name, but was unsuccessful until the prince turned and looked at him.
Sapphire eyes bore into his own and the prince's name echoed in Ryou's mind as he remembered it. 'Seto "The Sapphire Prince" Niege.' Ryou's heart jumped to his throat, and he looked away nervously.
*~*~~*~*
Ryou stared out over the lands of Aboriá from his balcony outside his room. Bakura had just left, his father calling for him to join the feast, and the rooms in his wing of the castle were now quiet again.
The wind was tossing his loose, mid-back length hair around, and he sighed. It was going to storm soon. Ryou hated storms. He was always locked up in his rooms when it rained, forbidden to go outside and play in the rain like so many of the other teen boys did. He wasn't ever allowed to do anything a -normal- boy would, he was always 'The Silver Prince', the most important person in the Royal Family at the moment. If anything ever happened to him, their bloodline wouldn't be able to be continued, and their family name would fall to ruins. His father wouldn't allow Bakura to be named King and take a wife. Bakura had openly defied him many times, and anyone who even -thought- of disobeying wasn't worthy of running a country.
Several curses and the sound of a shattering vase disturbed the silence of the night quite loudly, however.
Ryou stepped back into his room and walked over to the door. He cautiously opened it and peered down the hall before stepping out and raising an eyebrow at the intruder.
"Is there something I can help you with?"
~*~ Seto ~*~
"Is there something I can help you with?" The question was soft, and alert.
Seto looked up from where he had been cursing the vase he had just broken. He had gotten lost on his way to his rooms, as he didn't pay much attention to the directions that his father gave him. He had wandered for a while until he found himself in an extremely quiet area of the castle. Deciding that he would probably find someone to take him to his rooms, he ventured further until he came upon a lighted hallway. Suddenly remembering that he was in the wing of the castle that had been forbidden to go into, he turned on his heel and walked right into a vase. He cursed it several times before looking up into the face of the person who asked him the question.
He looked straight into the face of The Silver Prince, who was making cautious movements, and had a curious look on his face. His deep chocolate eyes were questioning, and his left eyebrow was raised. His eyes widened when he figured out who he was looking at, and the Silver Prince stepped back into his doorway. "You're not supposed to be here."
Seto rolled his eyes. "I know that," he said snappishly. "How the hell do I get back?"
Ryou opened his mouth to answer, but shut it abruptly with a look of fear on his face. He ran over, grabbed Seto's arm, and pulled him inside of his rooms. He slammed the door and motioned for Seto to go out onto the open balcony. Seto was about to say 'no' before a loud set of footsteps echoed down the hall and a knock on the door startled him.
Ryou motioned over to the balcony wildly before going over to the door and opening it. From the balcony, Seto could see three guards peering inside the room eagerly. The first one, the one who knocked on the door, opened his mouth and asked in a gruff voice, "Your Highness, how did that vase get broken? Did someone come down this hall?"
Ryou shook his head, his wild mane of hair rustling about. "Not a soul has been down this hallway. The vase was broken when a strong gust of wind came through my room from the balcony. There's a storm coming, as you can see." He pointed down the hall towards the large window at the end.
"We heard voices. Are you sure no one came down here?"
Ryou began to shut his door. "I'm positive. Now, would you kindly let me get back to my novel?" Ryou inserted a bit of annoyance in his voice.
The guard bowed hastily and nodded to the others before walking down the hallway. An angry prince was never a nice one in their opinion.
Ryou shut the door and turned around to face Seto, who was ready to open his mouth to make a comment.
"Why is the Prince of Dirana in -my- room when he should be at the feast?"
*~*~~*~~~*~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~*~~~*~~*~*
End Chapter One. Hope you enjoyed!
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