Treska: *Wanders in* All right, by somewhat popular demand a prequel!
Rest of Cast: *Groans and Yugi faints*
Treska: Well that's and interesting response. Anywho. Let's see I think I've got to do warnings and disclaimers. Soooooo . . . .
Anonyms Announcer Guy: *Glances around* Where the hell am I?
Blue: Don't ask just do your job and hopefully Petit won't find you.
Anonyms Announcer Guy: *Gulps* Right. Ahem. Yu-Gi-Oh is not the property of Treska SilverFlame. It rightly belongs to a company she is too lazy to find out about. However the Dragons, associated characters and the plot line of this story are hers'. This is to be a yoai meaning boy/boy pairing. Only limes will be featured in this story and if the authoress remembers you will be given sufficient warnings ahead. Thank you.
Treska: Um. Okay that was weird. But anyway a blurb about signs and so on.
/aibou to yami/
//yami to aibou//
((telepathy))
~ (scene change or POV Change) ~
'Personal Thoughts'
On with the story.
* * * * * * *
The golden sun hung in the mid-afternoon sky like a brilliant golden coin. On the land shimmering waves of heat rose up distorting some scenes. The shifting sands and hard earth packed roads soaked up the eager rays with timeless glee. A weary breeze oozed along the many streets, picking up on its travels the murmurings of talk, the fast chatter of barter and the pained cries of those that could not travel as freely.
"Get on your feet you worthless piece of camel dung." Luzige snarled at the boy at his feet.
The pudgy man's whip filled hand rose again and snapped the length of leather upon the pitiful slave's back. The boy cried out again as much as he hated doing so. With a trembling hand he quickly brushed his honey blonde hair out of his eyes. He tried to get up, but his twisted ankle and the descending whip forced him to the ground again. 'Why Ra? Why don't ya just kill me?'
"I said get up!" The bloated man said again, sick humor lacing his voice.
The blonde slave heard the sound of the whip being raised again. He braced himself and waited for the sting of the lash. He heard the leather rope descending. Could feel it in the air. And he waited.
And waited.
When the pain didn't come the blonde slave looked up. Standing a few inches to the side of him was a gray robed figure, hand outstretched with the end of the whip wrapped around his or her wrist. Clear brown eyes blinked in confusion, this person had saved him? A quick look at his owner and the slave could see an equally puzzled expression on that many chinned face.
"What . . .what's the meaning of this? How dare you interfere!"
"Simple, I can't stand such blatant stupidity." A harsh female voice mocking replied as she yanked the whip out of Luzige's hand. "If you want the boy to get up, beating him every time he tries is not very productive."
"What do you care about this worthless piece of crow bait?"
"I'm here to see if you live up to your reputation." The woman said tossing the whip back to Luzige. "I'm looking for some merchandize. And since you're the Royal Family's personal merchant I though you might have something worth my time."
Luzige looked around the marble walled enclosure of the palace grounds. This person was obviously a thief, yet if she risked being caught by the palace guards she must be willing to pay big. Luzige sized his 'customer' up. Nothing could be seen of the woman's facial feature, but the fat merchant got the feeling of strength and deadliness all rolled into one.
"You know you can't attack me here."
The woman snorted. "Only a fool would committee a murder under the Royal Guards' noses. Not to mention those Guardians that surround the Pharaoh."
Now it was Luzige's turn to snort. "Neither one is a real concern. At least to people like us."
"Oh?"
"I have the feeling that my usual merchandise is not what you are interested in. Just how much are you willing to spend?" The man said, sidestepping the woman's question. In response the robed figure threw a purse on the ground spilling several coins. Both slave and merchant stared in wonder at the riches on the ground. "Well, obviously enough."
The woman laughed at the man's greed. "You haven't answered my previous question. Why so unconcerned about the security in the palace?"
The pudgy man walked over to his cart, kicking his slave as he went. Satisfied with the ensuing yelp he started to fiddle with a board at the bottom of the cart's side. "The guards around here are lazy and those Guardians are to full of themselves to pay attention to anything. Ah, here."
The man handed several perfectly cut gems to his client. The woman examined them with a hawk's eye. The blonde slave watched everything and shuddered. This person knew what those gems were and probably where they came from. For a moment he wondered how foolish his owner was, showing a complete stranger these in the middle of palace grounds. Another horrifying thought crossed the poor boy's thoughts, what would keep this woman from following them and killing them for the merchant's treasure. Of course he might be spared, being only a slave. Yet one cruel master wasn't that much different from another.
The blonde glanced up and for a moment he could see into the shadows of the woman's hood. Sunlight caught in ice blue eyes and she glanced at the slave. To the boy's astonishment she winked at him. The slave would have shook his head to clear it, but that would have resulted in a kick from Luzige.
"These are from a royal tomb." The girl stated.
"Yup, Thief Lord Bakura isn't the only one that's good at raiding tombs." The pudgy man gloated.
"How many of these do you have?"
"Enough."
"All in that cart?"
The merchant gazed at her for moment, suddenly suspicious. "Why do you ask?"
The woman shrugged. "No particular reason. It just would have made my life a little easier. Still there's enough here."
"Enough here? For what?" Luzige asked, suddenly very nervous. He started to back up when a strong set of hands grabbed his arms. Terrified he looked at his two captors. One was a giant of a man with midnight blue eyes. The other was a scrawny seeming youth with dusty blonde hair and red on black eyes.
"Enough for your conviction and execution." The figure replied.
"What?!?! No you can't do this to me!"
"Stealing from the tombs of the ancient kings is an offense punishable by death Luzige. You knew this. Take him away please." The robed figure fingered the stone in her hand.
"What about his stuff?" The demon-eyed youth asked waving in the direction of the wagon and slave.
The robed figure regarded all of it. "Do the usual with the wagon and its contents. I'll take the boy with me."
"As you say General Blue." The scrawny youth said, slightly mockingly and bowed.
The blonde slave watched as the two Guardians dragged his screaming and protesting master off. He gulped as he directed his gaze back to the robed figure. He had heard rumors about the Dragon Guardians. That and Luzige's rantings about the quartet of were far from encouraging. The Guardians were suppose to be hard, cruel and cold people that revealed in their power and would beat a person to death just for looking at them or the Pharaoh the wrong way. The boy watched as the girl removed her hood. Skin a light bronze and slightly weathered looking rippled over a lithely muscled body. An angular face that still held feminine beauty had its left side adorned with the tattoo of a Blue-Eyes White Dragon that held the girl's eye. Those same ice blue orbs were regarding the boy. Suddenly the teen realized that he should be standing and quickly scrambled to do so.
Unfortunately the same twisted ankle that caused him to fall under Luzige's rule started to betray him now. He felt himself falling and tried to catch himself so he wouldn't earn another beating. It didn't work, but strong arms caught him before he kissed the ground. As he was helped up the slave turned startled eyes to the figure helping him. Blue smiled gently at him as she guided him up.
"That ankle's as bad as it can get. We'll fix it up as soon as we get to my quarters. What's your name?"
An icy shard of fear made its way down the slave's back. Her quarters?! "Jounouchi, but everyone calls me Jou."
Blue slung the Jou's arm around her shoulders so she could support most of his weight. Gently she guided him towards the palace. "Jou it is then. I want you to lean on me so that your weight will stay off of that ankle. And before you worry and scare yourself to death I view slaves in a very different light and would never think of doing what has crossed your mind to anyone."
Jou just blinked at her. How could she have possibly known what he was thinking? And what did she mean she view slaves in a different light than other people. However when they entered the palace all thoughts about what might happen to him were pushed out of his mind.
The walls were made of white marble and soared above his head. The floor was the same way, only it was also decorated with gold inlay done in a path-like pattern to help guide visitors. Columns stretched out to meet the ceiling; hieroglyphs depicting the Egyptian history decorated each one. Unlit torches in gilded iron brackets clung lovingly to the pillars. Various pieces of furniture, statues and vases were liberally placed adding to the effect. The people wandering the palace on their own errands were just as varied. Richly garbed priests, official looking statesmen, armor clad guards and cotton clad slaves scurried around. Only a few of the more worldlier officials gave Jou and Blue disdainful glances. But Jou got the odd impression those looks were more for Blue than himself.
Before he knew it Jou was facing a set of wooden doors with carvings of the various Shadow Dragons depicted on it. Blue shifted and then kicked the door open. Jou was surprised that no one was there to let them in. Yet his thoughts took another turn as they entered the living quarters. This main room had low sitting, no-back couches, cushions and several chairs centered in the middle of the room. Tables, vases (both filled and empty), rugs and tapestries decorated the rest of the room. Four smaller doors were spread out, supposedly leading to other rooms.
Blue guided the other teen to the door directly across from the main one. In the middle of the room was a large four-posted bed with silky blue sheets and far too many pillows. A door in the far wall on the left side of the bed lead to a balcony, which Jou would later find out overlooked the royal gardens. There was one door on the left wall and another one on the right. Wispy curtains hung in all of the entrance ways while rugs, small tables and two wardrobes helped add to a very lived in atmosphere.
Before he realized what was happening, Jou was guided to the enormous bed. As he was guided down Jou froze waiting for the next part of this torture. Yet to his surprise Blue knelt in front of him and gently took the wounded ankle in her hands. Rough pad tickled up and down the skin and prodded gently. Jou couldn't stop the hiss of pain at a particular prod, but Blue nodded to herself and quickly got up and went through the door behind her. She reappeared moments later with a small fat brown jar and some bandages.
"You've pulled the muscles in that ankle badly." The girl started spreading a very cool salve over Jou's ankle. "This will help take the swelling down and the bandage will help keep the ankle and foot still. Now where is that damned thing?"
Jou watched as the supposedly feared General rummaged through one of the wardrobes. Looking down at his ankle he saw the very neat job the girl had done in wrapping it. Already it felt better, but he didn't understand why she was doing this. Maybe being a palace slave wouldn't be as bad as he thought.
"Thank you mistress." He murmured.
Suddenly Blue whirled, eyes flashing. Jou cringed at the look, but just as quickly the anger was gone and only sadness, and hard humor lingered in her eyes. "I think before I get to involved I better explain the rules."
"Rules?"
"Yes, you see I don't own slaves. Any slave that comes into my um . . possession is given a choice. I can find you someone who will take you on as an apprentice. You'll learn a trade and eventually can become a valuable citizen of Egypt. Or you can become a servant in the palace under my authority."
Jou just stared, choking on the air that had lodged itself nicely in his throat. He had a choice? He could pick his future. "How is being a servant different then being a slave?"
Blue quirked a smile. "To the outside world there is none. However my companions and I hate slavery. So we give our servants wages without telling anyone and we don't employ any of the disciplinary measures that masters use. Plus we treat our servants with respect. Did I just make a sappy speech?"
Jou couldn't think for a moment and the last question slipped past him. The person leaning against the doorjamb of the room caught it. "Yes and it was quiet pathetic."
Both teens turned to the voice and Jou thought he was going to have a heart attack right there and then. The figure leaning so casually in the doorway had raven black hair done up in spikes that were tipped in red. Blonde bangs hung down framing his face while other bits of those golden locks stuck up to be framed by the rest of his hair. Crimson eyes sparkled with amusement as the boy's mouth twitched in the beginnings of a smile. He wore tight black cotton breeches and a sleeveless dark violet tunic hung onto his well muscles frame. An inverted gold pyramid hung from a leather cord to rest against his chest. In one ear a gold ankh earring dangled while various golden bands encircled his upper arms.
"Yami don't you know you should knock before entering someone's chambers?"
"Yes, but since I'm the Pharaoh I can make an exception to that rule." The ruler of Upper and Lower Egypt chuckled at his Guardian. "So I see that you've acquired another servant."
"Don't know he hasn't decided and since he's seen you he's probably traumatized."
Yami glanced at the youth staring at him. True the boy looked like he was facing his worst nightmare. "Hm. Well maybe you should keep him around for a bit. Especially with that ankle."
Blue sighed and ran her hand through her hair. "Your right, Ra damn you."
Yami just smirked, used to his very rough-around-the-edges guardian. "You might want to finish with him quickly. Petit's shift has just ended and from the look on her face she didn't feel like escorting me around."
"The meeting that bad?"
"Yes, even I found it irritating."
"That's an accomplishment."
Yami just shook his head and left the room. Blue chuckled and turned back to her servant. "Jou. Hey Jou." When the boy failed to respond she snapped her fingers in front of his face. "JOU!"
"Huh? Sorry mistress." Jou said as he tried to scramble off the bed and kneel before her.
Blue quickly grabbed his shoulders and forced him to stay seated a slight scowl marring her feature. "Right, stop that so I can tell you the rest of the rules."
"Yes mistress."
"Stop calling me that." Blue almost snapped.
"Huh?" Jou looked up into those icy eyes. Irritation shone threw them and he gulped wondering what he had done to upset her.
Blue took a breath and held it. Normally she didn't become this irritated. But she had been out for the past couple of days. What she really needed was a good nights sleep (with or without her husband) and a decent meal. "First off you are never to call me mistress, master or any other type of title as long as you are in this area of the palace. This is the Dragon Guardian's residence. We don't have any titles here. Even Yami has to observe this rule. Outside these chambers you'll have to call me all those names and that's about as much as I can tolerate. Got it?"
"Yes. Why? Why are you doing all of this? I'm just a slave, nothing but crow bait." Jou said hanging his head in shame, bewilderment and sadness.
Blue hooked her finger under the boy's chin and made him look at her. "Jou what do you want? To be treated as a person or as an item to be bought and sold."
"A person."
"Then here you will be. As soon as that ankles fixed you'll be a servant of mine. You'll run any errands that I or the other Dragon's have. You'll help keep these quarters clean and that's about it. When you decide what you want to do with your life we'll help you."
"It's been so long. My buddy and I were taken from our village when we were five. I think I forgot what it's like to make decisions." Jou admitted blushing slightly.
"It's always hard. But you'll get used to it." Blue straightened. "Unfortunately I've got my most ~honored~ duty of guarding a royal pain in the ass. {"I heard that!" Yami shouted from the other room.} I'll send someone up to take care of the rest of the wounds on your back and give you some food."
Jou watched as the girl left the room. She and Yami had obviously started a slightly vicious verbal fight because, although he couldn't hear the words, both voices were laced with sarcasm and mock anger. Jou listened as the voices faded and the door slammed. When it did he released his breath and looked around. 'For a new prison this ain't so bad. But did she really mean that I had a choice?' Jou snorted at that unlikely idea. This woman was probably just toying with him, getting his hopes up so that he would just break that much easier.
Jou scooted back so that he was all the way onto the bed. Since Blue hadn't indicated where he was suppose to sleep he figured he might just take advantage of that oversight and sleep where he was. Still he flipped over onto his stomach. It wouldn't do to get blood all over his new mistress's sheets. Within minutes the boy was fast asleep.
~ ~ ~ (Couple hours later) ~ ~ ~
Jou was awakened by something damp being gently pressed onto his back. Slowly his eyes started to be open. For a moment he was completely disoriented by the softness touching his cheek and comfort of a mattress underneath him. Images of what had happened earlier that day flashed through his mind and he jerked away from the dampness on his back.
Sitting beside him with a slightly startled expression was a blonde haired woman roughly his own age. She had sparkling sapphire eyes and was wearing a two piece cotton gown that servants wore. In one hand was a damp cloth and the other was hovering over the space he had just left.
"You don't have to be so afraid you know." The girl said, laughter tinting her voice.
"Who are you?" Jou asked sitting up.
"Name's Mai. What's yours?"
"Jou."
"Nice to meet you. So what do you think of the palace so far?"
"It's well nice." Jou said watching this woman. 'Man she's beautiful.' Jou could have smacked himself. Here he was just meeting this girl and he was already thinking things like his. He felt himself blush and quickly ducked his head to examine the sheets. "So is what Mistress Blue said true?"
Mai laughed. "You better not let her hear you call her mistress or she'll glare you to death. And ya it's all true. I'm one of her servants. Except now I'm working as a chief in the kitchens."
Jou looked at the girl. She didn't seem the type to be working in the kitchens. "So ya stayed in the palace? Didn't ya want to be free?"
"Honey I am free. I wanted to be a seamstress, but when I realized that I would have to leave all of my friends behind I stayed. Besides the cook's real nice. Blue and the Dragon Guardians are too. So's Yami for that matter."
"But he's the coldest pharaoh Egypt has ever seen. He's executes slaves for lookin at him wrong." Jou protested. But Mai laughed and Jou found himself wishing he could make her laugh at things that weren't him.
"That's just a show. See Blue and the Guardians showed Yami just how wrong slavery was. But those old farts that are on Yami's council won't let him free the slaves. Plus the priests aren't helping. So he and the Guardians came up with a scheme to free as many slaves by having them 'executed'. Basically all they do is smuggle the slave out of Egypt or to someone who would be willing to teach them how to make an honest living."
"So, I really do have a choice."
"Yup. So what are you going to do?"
Jou looked at the girl shyly. All he wanted to do was get to know her. 'Get a grip on yourself man she'd never go for you.' "I think I'll stay here."
"Welcome to the palace." Mai said.
Together the two blonde teen's gazed out of the balcony window from the comfort of the bed. Eventually Jou felt himself slowly nod off. He didn't even realize he was falling asleep and started to fall forward. Mia caught him and gently lowered him so that his head was resting in her lap. Gently she ran her hand through the golden locks of the boy. She remembered her first day here and knew what a toll it took on a person's spirit. She gazed down at Jou, marveling at his features and knew she was slowly falling in love. Very gently she placed a kiss on his forehead.
"Welcome to the home of the Dragon Guardians."
* * * * * *
Treska: *Jumps in* Tada!!! Another story in the works.
Yami: *Stomps in* Where in the hell is Yugi?!
Treska: Um . . . waiting in I think chapter three perhaps.
Yami: WHAT!!!!!!!
Treska: *Starting to back away seeing that Yami is turning and interesting shade of purple and breathing heavily.* Okay tomorrow is the first chapter of Dragons Return: A Father's Revenge. Please be advised that most of the time I will only get one chapter done a week. This was a special treat and the muse for this story was beating me over the head with a mallet to get it going. *Glares at little chinchilla with mallet* Stupid muse.
Chinchilla: Chee?
Yami: Aaaarrrrgh! *Lunges at authoress*
Treska: *Leaps out of the way and runs* Yipe! Review pleasssssssssseeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!
* * * * * * * *
Luzige-An Egyptian name that means locust
Rest of Cast: *Groans and Yugi faints*
Treska: Well that's and interesting response. Anywho. Let's see I think I've got to do warnings and disclaimers. Soooooo . . . .
Anonyms Announcer Guy: *Glances around* Where the hell am I?
Blue: Don't ask just do your job and hopefully Petit won't find you.
Anonyms Announcer Guy: *Gulps* Right. Ahem. Yu-Gi-Oh is not the property of Treska SilverFlame. It rightly belongs to a company she is too lazy to find out about. However the Dragons, associated characters and the plot line of this story are hers'. This is to be a yoai meaning boy/boy pairing. Only limes will be featured in this story and if the authoress remembers you will be given sufficient warnings ahead. Thank you.
Treska: Um. Okay that was weird. But anyway a blurb about signs and so on.
/aibou to yami/
//yami to aibou//
((telepathy))
~ (scene change or POV Change) ~
'Personal Thoughts'
On with the story.
* * * * * * *
The golden sun hung in the mid-afternoon sky like a brilliant golden coin. On the land shimmering waves of heat rose up distorting some scenes. The shifting sands and hard earth packed roads soaked up the eager rays with timeless glee. A weary breeze oozed along the many streets, picking up on its travels the murmurings of talk, the fast chatter of barter and the pained cries of those that could not travel as freely.
"Get on your feet you worthless piece of camel dung." Luzige snarled at the boy at his feet.
The pudgy man's whip filled hand rose again and snapped the length of leather upon the pitiful slave's back. The boy cried out again as much as he hated doing so. With a trembling hand he quickly brushed his honey blonde hair out of his eyes. He tried to get up, but his twisted ankle and the descending whip forced him to the ground again. 'Why Ra? Why don't ya just kill me?'
"I said get up!" The bloated man said again, sick humor lacing his voice.
The blonde slave heard the sound of the whip being raised again. He braced himself and waited for the sting of the lash. He heard the leather rope descending. Could feel it in the air. And he waited.
And waited.
When the pain didn't come the blonde slave looked up. Standing a few inches to the side of him was a gray robed figure, hand outstretched with the end of the whip wrapped around his or her wrist. Clear brown eyes blinked in confusion, this person had saved him? A quick look at his owner and the slave could see an equally puzzled expression on that many chinned face.
"What . . .what's the meaning of this? How dare you interfere!"
"Simple, I can't stand such blatant stupidity." A harsh female voice mocking replied as she yanked the whip out of Luzige's hand. "If you want the boy to get up, beating him every time he tries is not very productive."
"What do you care about this worthless piece of crow bait?"
"I'm here to see if you live up to your reputation." The woman said tossing the whip back to Luzige. "I'm looking for some merchandize. And since you're the Royal Family's personal merchant I though you might have something worth my time."
Luzige looked around the marble walled enclosure of the palace grounds. This person was obviously a thief, yet if she risked being caught by the palace guards she must be willing to pay big. Luzige sized his 'customer' up. Nothing could be seen of the woman's facial feature, but the fat merchant got the feeling of strength and deadliness all rolled into one.
"You know you can't attack me here."
The woman snorted. "Only a fool would committee a murder under the Royal Guards' noses. Not to mention those Guardians that surround the Pharaoh."
Now it was Luzige's turn to snort. "Neither one is a real concern. At least to people like us."
"Oh?"
"I have the feeling that my usual merchandise is not what you are interested in. Just how much are you willing to spend?" The man said, sidestepping the woman's question. In response the robed figure threw a purse on the ground spilling several coins. Both slave and merchant stared in wonder at the riches on the ground. "Well, obviously enough."
The woman laughed at the man's greed. "You haven't answered my previous question. Why so unconcerned about the security in the palace?"
The pudgy man walked over to his cart, kicking his slave as he went. Satisfied with the ensuing yelp he started to fiddle with a board at the bottom of the cart's side. "The guards around here are lazy and those Guardians are to full of themselves to pay attention to anything. Ah, here."
The man handed several perfectly cut gems to his client. The woman examined them with a hawk's eye. The blonde slave watched everything and shuddered. This person knew what those gems were and probably where they came from. For a moment he wondered how foolish his owner was, showing a complete stranger these in the middle of palace grounds. Another horrifying thought crossed the poor boy's thoughts, what would keep this woman from following them and killing them for the merchant's treasure. Of course he might be spared, being only a slave. Yet one cruel master wasn't that much different from another.
The blonde glanced up and for a moment he could see into the shadows of the woman's hood. Sunlight caught in ice blue eyes and she glanced at the slave. To the boy's astonishment she winked at him. The slave would have shook his head to clear it, but that would have resulted in a kick from Luzige.
"These are from a royal tomb." The girl stated.
"Yup, Thief Lord Bakura isn't the only one that's good at raiding tombs." The pudgy man gloated.
"How many of these do you have?"
"Enough."
"All in that cart?"
The merchant gazed at her for moment, suddenly suspicious. "Why do you ask?"
The woman shrugged. "No particular reason. It just would have made my life a little easier. Still there's enough here."
"Enough here? For what?" Luzige asked, suddenly very nervous. He started to back up when a strong set of hands grabbed his arms. Terrified he looked at his two captors. One was a giant of a man with midnight blue eyes. The other was a scrawny seeming youth with dusty blonde hair and red on black eyes.
"Enough for your conviction and execution." The figure replied.
"What?!?! No you can't do this to me!"
"Stealing from the tombs of the ancient kings is an offense punishable by death Luzige. You knew this. Take him away please." The robed figure fingered the stone in her hand.
"What about his stuff?" The demon-eyed youth asked waving in the direction of the wagon and slave.
The robed figure regarded all of it. "Do the usual with the wagon and its contents. I'll take the boy with me."
"As you say General Blue." The scrawny youth said, slightly mockingly and bowed.
The blonde slave watched as the two Guardians dragged his screaming and protesting master off. He gulped as he directed his gaze back to the robed figure. He had heard rumors about the Dragon Guardians. That and Luzige's rantings about the quartet of were far from encouraging. The Guardians were suppose to be hard, cruel and cold people that revealed in their power and would beat a person to death just for looking at them or the Pharaoh the wrong way. The boy watched as the girl removed her hood. Skin a light bronze and slightly weathered looking rippled over a lithely muscled body. An angular face that still held feminine beauty had its left side adorned with the tattoo of a Blue-Eyes White Dragon that held the girl's eye. Those same ice blue orbs were regarding the boy. Suddenly the teen realized that he should be standing and quickly scrambled to do so.
Unfortunately the same twisted ankle that caused him to fall under Luzige's rule started to betray him now. He felt himself falling and tried to catch himself so he wouldn't earn another beating. It didn't work, but strong arms caught him before he kissed the ground. As he was helped up the slave turned startled eyes to the figure helping him. Blue smiled gently at him as she guided him up.
"That ankle's as bad as it can get. We'll fix it up as soon as we get to my quarters. What's your name?"
An icy shard of fear made its way down the slave's back. Her quarters?! "Jounouchi, but everyone calls me Jou."
Blue slung the Jou's arm around her shoulders so she could support most of his weight. Gently she guided him towards the palace. "Jou it is then. I want you to lean on me so that your weight will stay off of that ankle. And before you worry and scare yourself to death I view slaves in a very different light and would never think of doing what has crossed your mind to anyone."
Jou just blinked at her. How could she have possibly known what he was thinking? And what did she mean she view slaves in a different light than other people. However when they entered the palace all thoughts about what might happen to him were pushed out of his mind.
The walls were made of white marble and soared above his head. The floor was the same way, only it was also decorated with gold inlay done in a path-like pattern to help guide visitors. Columns stretched out to meet the ceiling; hieroglyphs depicting the Egyptian history decorated each one. Unlit torches in gilded iron brackets clung lovingly to the pillars. Various pieces of furniture, statues and vases were liberally placed adding to the effect. The people wandering the palace on their own errands were just as varied. Richly garbed priests, official looking statesmen, armor clad guards and cotton clad slaves scurried around. Only a few of the more worldlier officials gave Jou and Blue disdainful glances. But Jou got the odd impression those looks were more for Blue than himself.
Before he knew it Jou was facing a set of wooden doors with carvings of the various Shadow Dragons depicted on it. Blue shifted and then kicked the door open. Jou was surprised that no one was there to let them in. Yet his thoughts took another turn as they entered the living quarters. This main room had low sitting, no-back couches, cushions and several chairs centered in the middle of the room. Tables, vases (both filled and empty), rugs and tapestries decorated the rest of the room. Four smaller doors were spread out, supposedly leading to other rooms.
Blue guided the other teen to the door directly across from the main one. In the middle of the room was a large four-posted bed with silky blue sheets and far too many pillows. A door in the far wall on the left side of the bed lead to a balcony, which Jou would later find out overlooked the royal gardens. There was one door on the left wall and another one on the right. Wispy curtains hung in all of the entrance ways while rugs, small tables and two wardrobes helped add to a very lived in atmosphere.
Before he realized what was happening, Jou was guided to the enormous bed. As he was guided down Jou froze waiting for the next part of this torture. Yet to his surprise Blue knelt in front of him and gently took the wounded ankle in her hands. Rough pad tickled up and down the skin and prodded gently. Jou couldn't stop the hiss of pain at a particular prod, but Blue nodded to herself and quickly got up and went through the door behind her. She reappeared moments later with a small fat brown jar and some bandages.
"You've pulled the muscles in that ankle badly." The girl started spreading a very cool salve over Jou's ankle. "This will help take the swelling down and the bandage will help keep the ankle and foot still. Now where is that damned thing?"
Jou watched as the supposedly feared General rummaged through one of the wardrobes. Looking down at his ankle he saw the very neat job the girl had done in wrapping it. Already it felt better, but he didn't understand why she was doing this. Maybe being a palace slave wouldn't be as bad as he thought.
"Thank you mistress." He murmured.
Suddenly Blue whirled, eyes flashing. Jou cringed at the look, but just as quickly the anger was gone and only sadness, and hard humor lingered in her eyes. "I think before I get to involved I better explain the rules."
"Rules?"
"Yes, you see I don't own slaves. Any slave that comes into my um . . possession is given a choice. I can find you someone who will take you on as an apprentice. You'll learn a trade and eventually can become a valuable citizen of Egypt. Or you can become a servant in the palace under my authority."
Jou just stared, choking on the air that had lodged itself nicely in his throat. He had a choice? He could pick his future. "How is being a servant different then being a slave?"
Blue quirked a smile. "To the outside world there is none. However my companions and I hate slavery. So we give our servants wages without telling anyone and we don't employ any of the disciplinary measures that masters use. Plus we treat our servants with respect. Did I just make a sappy speech?"
Jou couldn't think for a moment and the last question slipped past him. The person leaning against the doorjamb of the room caught it. "Yes and it was quiet pathetic."
Both teens turned to the voice and Jou thought he was going to have a heart attack right there and then. The figure leaning so casually in the doorway had raven black hair done up in spikes that were tipped in red. Blonde bangs hung down framing his face while other bits of those golden locks stuck up to be framed by the rest of his hair. Crimson eyes sparkled with amusement as the boy's mouth twitched in the beginnings of a smile. He wore tight black cotton breeches and a sleeveless dark violet tunic hung onto his well muscles frame. An inverted gold pyramid hung from a leather cord to rest against his chest. In one ear a gold ankh earring dangled while various golden bands encircled his upper arms.
"Yami don't you know you should knock before entering someone's chambers?"
"Yes, but since I'm the Pharaoh I can make an exception to that rule." The ruler of Upper and Lower Egypt chuckled at his Guardian. "So I see that you've acquired another servant."
"Don't know he hasn't decided and since he's seen you he's probably traumatized."
Yami glanced at the youth staring at him. True the boy looked like he was facing his worst nightmare. "Hm. Well maybe you should keep him around for a bit. Especially with that ankle."
Blue sighed and ran her hand through her hair. "Your right, Ra damn you."
Yami just smirked, used to his very rough-around-the-edges guardian. "You might want to finish with him quickly. Petit's shift has just ended and from the look on her face she didn't feel like escorting me around."
"The meeting that bad?"
"Yes, even I found it irritating."
"That's an accomplishment."
Yami just shook his head and left the room. Blue chuckled and turned back to her servant. "Jou. Hey Jou." When the boy failed to respond she snapped her fingers in front of his face. "JOU!"
"Huh? Sorry mistress." Jou said as he tried to scramble off the bed and kneel before her.
Blue quickly grabbed his shoulders and forced him to stay seated a slight scowl marring her feature. "Right, stop that so I can tell you the rest of the rules."
"Yes mistress."
"Stop calling me that." Blue almost snapped.
"Huh?" Jou looked up into those icy eyes. Irritation shone threw them and he gulped wondering what he had done to upset her.
Blue took a breath and held it. Normally she didn't become this irritated. But she had been out for the past couple of days. What she really needed was a good nights sleep (with or without her husband) and a decent meal. "First off you are never to call me mistress, master or any other type of title as long as you are in this area of the palace. This is the Dragon Guardian's residence. We don't have any titles here. Even Yami has to observe this rule. Outside these chambers you'll have to call me all those names and that's about as much as I can tolerate. Got it?"
"Yes. Why? Why are you doing all of this? I'm just a slave, nothing but crow bait." Jou said hanging his head in shame, bewilderment and sadness.
Blue hooked her finger under the boy's chin and made him look at her. "Jou what do you want? To be treated as a person or as an item to be bought and sold."
"A person."
"Then here you will be. As soon as that ankles fixed you'll be a servant of mine. You'll run any errands that I or the other Dragon's have. You'll help keep these quarters clean and that's about it. When you decide what you want to do with your life we'll help you."
"It's been so long. My buddy and I were taken from our village when we were five. I think I forgot what it's like to make decisions." Jou admitted blushing slightly.
"It's always hard. But you'll get used to it." Blue straightened. "Unfortunately I've got my most ~honored~ duty of guarding a royal pain in the ass. {"I heard that!" Yami shouted from the other room.} I'll send someone up to take care of the rest of the wounds on your back and give you some food."
Jou watched as the girl left the room. She and Yami had obviously started a slightly vicious verbal fight because, although he couldn't hear the words, both voices were laced with sarcasm and mock anger. Jou listened as the voices faded and the door slammed. When it did he released his breath and looked around. 'For a new prison this ain't so bad. But did she really mean that I had a choice?' Jou snorted at that unlikely idea. This woman was probably just toying with him, getting his hopes up so that he would just break that much easier.
Jou scooted back so that he was all the way onto the bed. Since Blue hadn't indicated where he was suppose to sleep he figured he might just take advantage of that oversight and sleep where he was. Still he flipped over onto his stomach. It wouldn't do to get blood all over his new mistress's sheets. Within minutes the boy was fast asleep.
~ ~ ~ (Couple hours later) ~ ~ ~
Jou was awakened by something damp being gently pressed onto his back. Slowly his eyes started to be open. For a moment he was completely disoriented by the softness touching his cheek and comfort of a mattress underneath him. Images of what had happened earlier that day flashed through his mind and he jerked away from the dampness on his back.
Sitting beside him with a slightly startled expression was a blonde haired woman roughly his own age. She had sparkling sapphire eyes and was wearing a two piece cotton gown that servants wore. In one hand was a damp cloth and the other was hovering over the space he had just left.
"You don't have to be so afraid you know." The girl said, laughter tinting her voice.
"Who are you?" Jou asked sitting up.
"Name's Mai. What's yours?"
"Jou."
"Nice to meet you. So what do you think of the palace so far?"
"It's well nice." Jou said watching this woman. 'Man she's beautiful.' Jou could have smacked himself. Here he was just meeting this girl and he was already thinking things like his. He felt himself blush and quickly ducked his head to examine the sheets. "So is what Mistress Blue said true?"
Mai laughed. "You better not let her hear you call her mistress or she'll glare you to death. And ya it's all true. I'm one of her servants. Except now I'm working as a chief in the kitchens."
Jou looked at the girl. She didn't seem the type to be working in the kitchens. "So ya stayed in the palace? Didn't ya want to be free?"
"Honey I am free. I wanted to be a seamstress, but when I realized that I would have to leave all of my friends behind I stayed. Besides the cook's real nice. Blue and the Dragon Guardians are too. So's Yami for that matter."
"But he's the coldest pharaoh Egypt has ever seen. He's executes slaves for lookin at him wrong." Jou protested. But Mai laughed and Jou found himself wishing he could make her laugh at things that weren't him.
"That's just a show. See Blue and the Guardians showed Yami just how wrong slavery was. But those old farts that are on Yami's council won't let him free the slaves. Plus the priests aren't helping. So he and the Guardians came up with a scheme to free as many slaves by having them 'executed'. Basically all they do is smuggle the slave out of Egypt or to someone who would be willing to teach them how to make an honest living."
"So, I really do have a choice."
"Yup. So what are you going to do?"
Jou looked at the girl shyly. All he wanted to do was get to know her. 'Get a grip on yourself man she'd never go for you.' "I think I'll stay here."
"Welcome to the palace." Mai said.
Together the two blonde teen's gazed out of the balcony window from the comfort of the bed. Eventually Jou felt himself slowly nod off. He didn't even realize he was falling asleep and started to fall forward. Mia caught him and gently lowered him so that his head was resting in her lap. Gently she ran her hand through the golden locks of the boy. She remembered her first day here and knew what a toll it took on a person's spirit. She gazed down at Jou, marveling at his features and knew she was slowly falling in love. Very gently she placed a kiss on his forehead.
"Welcome to the home of the Dragon Guardians."
* * * * * *
Treska: *Jumps in* Tada!!! Another story in the works.
Yami: *Stomps in* Where in the hell is Yugi?!
Treska: Um . . . waiting in I think chapter three perhaps.
Yami: WHAT!!!!!!!
Treska: *Starting to back away seeing that Yami is turning and interesting shade of purple and breathing heavily.* Okay tomorrow is the first chapter of Dragons Return: A Father's Revenge. Please be advised that most of the time I will only get one chapter done a week. This was a special treat and the muse for this story was beating me over the head with a mallet to get it going. *Glares at little chinchilla with mallet* Stupid muse.
Chinchilla: Chee?
Yami: Aaaarrrrgh! *Lunges at authoress*
Treska: *Leaps out of the way and runs* Yipe! Review pleasssssssssseeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!
* * * * * * * *
Luzige-An Egyptian name that means locust