Author's Note: Look fandom, I'm back! This is my second go at a Yu-Gi-Oh! fic, so forgive me if it's not as good as others by authors with more experience. I'd like to say now that this could be quite a long story, so I hope you're ready for the ride. Let's get this show on the road.

Disclaimer: Dude I don't even own a license yet, let alone this anime.

/OO/

The sun beat down on the sands of the land, heating the backs and heads of the slaves carrying the most precious cargo that they ever had or ever would transport. Though their cargo would fetch a price greater than all four of their lives combined, they had no trouble in carrying its weight. While normally their backs would be hunched over, struggling to keep their cargo supported, the slaves walked tall and straight with no problem. The value of their cargo was greater than any sum of silver or gold they would ever see in their lives, but its weight? Practically nonexistent.

Inside the the rickshaw being carried by the slaves sat a violet-eyed youth dressed in fine silks. His skin was an unusually pale color, one attained from his lifetime of staying indoors and away from the sunlight. His knees were folded underneath his body, his hands clasped together and resting in his lap. His head was bowed slightly, his eyes only half open while his mind drifted like the heated air of the desert. Today was the day. Today was the day that he'd finally meet the man he'd been promised to from birth. Now that he'd come of age, he was ready to meet the prince of all of Egypt and fulfill his destined role.

His role as the prince's concubine.

He'd been groomed for the role since birth, learning how to be submissive and demure. His parents had been very poor before he was born, and since they were unable to pay tribute to the king, offered up their firstborn to belong to the king's son when he came of age. Even before his parents had written out the name Yugi Mutou on his birth record, he had belonged to the prince. In time, he came to accept his role in life. His family would be better off once he was with the prince, and he'd never have to work a day in his life.

A small smile grew on Yugi's face as he imagined what his new life would be like. For all of his years before he reached his eighteenth, he'd been told how to walk, how to talk, and above all else, how to serve. Would living with the prince as his concubine be different? Less demanding than the strict lifestyle he'd been forced to live? He sorely hoped so. An imagine of himself lounging about in a room with other concubines came to his mind, being treated almost as good as the royalty themselves, and only ever leaving when the prince summoned him for... For sex. Yugi had not a clue what that would be like, but he'd been told that it would be his main purpose once he came to live with the prince, and that it was a great honor to belong to the prince in such a way. 'I wonder what the prince is like...' Yugi thought, looking out the window of the rickshaw he sat in and watching the sands move past. 'I can't wait to meet him.'

/OO/

Footsteps padded across the floor of the throne room in a fixed circuit for what must have been the five hundredth time that day. The sandle-clad feet of the prince took him across the length of the throne room before turning him around and leading him back to where he started. "Father, are you sure that I have to do this?" he asked. "I've only just come of age! I haven't even had a wife yet, let alone a concubine!"

The pharaoh sighed, running a hand along the side of his face while watching his son pace the throne room. "We've been over this before, son," he said in a tired voice, as if he'd been asked the question many times that day, which, in fact, he had. "His parents owed a debt, and he is their payment. Besides, your first concubine is an important achievement in your life! As you get older, you'll acquire more and more, and your status will only increase with each concubine you gather."

The prince sighed, running a hand through his spiked hair as he continued to pace. "I understand that, father, but... I just don't know if I'm ready. What if I don't even like him?"

"Honestly now, Atem," the king said with a roll of his eyes, "you worry about the strangest things. You don't need to be best bosom buddies with a concubine to take one to bed. I wasn't with your mother, and yet here you are."

A slight flush rose to Atem's face at his father's words. "I didn't need to be reminded of that," he said. "I really didn't. Still, I at least want to find him somewhat pleasant to be around."

"I'm sure that you will, son," the king said. "After all, his entire life has been about learning how to please you. Should he fail to do so, we can always have his parents send us his younger sister instead."

Atem shook his head at this. "I think that one concubine is plenty for now, father," he said, stopping just in front of a window that overlooked the Nile. He leaned on the windowsill, looking outside with a sigh. His entire life, he'd known only the walls of the palace, and the streets of the town just outside the palace. As he'd grown older, however, he began seeing less of the town and the friendly faces he'd known, and more of the dullness that was life in a gilded cage. The closest things he had to friends were a few of the guards, as well as his cousin, Seto. 'I wonder what this concubine is like...' Atem thought, his eyes locked on the flowing waters that gave his country life. 'I'm still really nervous about this whole concubine thing, and it may just be because of how lonely it gets being prince, but... I'm kinda excited to meet him.'

/OO/

Author's Note: And there you have it! Chapter one is complete! Sorry if this seems a little short to you. I'll be trying to update as much as I can, though I make no promise on set dates. Next chapter, Atem and Yami's first meeting! Don't forget to hit that pretty little review button, and I will see you in the next chapter. Until next time, my lovelies!