A woman. A queen! She's beautiful.
Her eyes. They're my eyes. Is that me?
So many Creatures. I've never seen so many before in my life!
They're all coming together. What are they doing?
Ah! No, it hurts. They have to stop! If they keep destroying themselves, I'll die. I don't want to die. Why won't I stop them?
Is that the Pharaoh? Why is he crying? Is it because of me? Don't cry for me Pharaoh.
No, dear, you have to stay behind and protect the Pharaoh…
Protect the Pharaoh…
Pharaoh…Forgive me…
I woke with a start, drenched in a cold sweat. Bright sunlight poured into the eastern window. The streets outside were already bustling with the day's routines. I sighed. Overslept again. Karn was not going to be happy with me.
I stretched and climbed out of bed. I dressed in my normal work clothes, and went to the mirror to inspect my dark brown mess of hair. As per usual, short tangled spikes poked out all over my head. My bright green eyes still showed signs of weariness, but that couldn't be helped. I ran my fingers through my hair in an effort to somewhat tame some of the knots before heading out to enter the crowded streets of Egypt for Karn's inn.
"You're late again, Rhea," Karn said, leaning a broad shoulder against the door frame. She was a rather large woman in her fifties with a deep, throaty, booming voice. But despite her threatening—if somewhat masculine—features, she was truly a kind soul.
"I apologize," I smiled. "I overslept again." Karn's stance suddenly straightened.
"Was it the dream again?" she asked in a hushed voice, frowning. I nodded grimly. The only time I ever overslept was because of my recurring dream of death.
Karn sighed. "Well, nothing you can do about it now," she said, booming, giving me a hard "pat" on the back. When I was young, this used to send me sprawling to the ground. Nowadays, though, it just shifted my balance forward a step. "Ferod's run out of vegetables again. Think you could go to the market and pick some up?" She pulled out a small pouch of coins for the food and an empty burlap sack.
I laughed, nodding jovially. Ferod was Karn's husband and the inn's cook. He was constantly giving vegetables to the neighbor's donkeys, like they were his children.
He and Karn had never had children, though they'd prayed to the gods many times for the chance. So, when I came knocking on their door after my father died, they gladly took me in. They fed me well, but I never seemed to "thicken up" as Karn used to say. When I turned 13, they let me live on my own and work for them as an employee.
I took the pouch and, turning back to the busy street, bound for the vegetable stand. I easily maneuvered my way through the throng of people. I found the vegetables, and placed some into the sack Karn had given me.
"Did you hear the news?" the merchant said as I paid for my groceries. "The Pharaoh's son is in town!"
"Do you know why?" I asked.
The merchant shrugged. "Nobody knows. Some say he's here on business. Others say…" He looked around to be sure nobody was listening, then lowered his voice. "Others say he's here for a mistress, if you know what I mean." He nodded slowly, as if to say that he was sure that was what it was. I rolled my eyes.
"I doubt he's here to see a prostitute."
"SSSSSHHHHHHHHHH!" The merchant scanned the crowd again. When he was sure the coast was clear, he shrugged again. "Stranger things have happened, you know." I snorted. Some people will believe anything, I thought. I gave the merchant the money and left.
I'd heard many things about the Prince, few of which were good. Unlike his father King Aknamkanon, who was a kind-hearted and patient man, the Prince was often said to be hot-tempered, selfish, and frequently abused his authority. He hardly ever left the palace, so his arrival was certainly a surprise.
I returned to the inn and gave the groceries to Karn.
"The Pharaoh's son will be in town today," I noted as she put the vegetables away.
"Will he now?" Karn said absent-mindedly. I nodded.
"I know I was late getting in this morning, but I was wondering if-"
"Go ahead."
"Really?" I asked, truly surprised.
"Why not?" Karn shrugged. "He doesn't come to town often, and it's a slow day anyway. Go have some fun, kiddo."
"Thank you so much!" I exclaimed, hugging the woman tightly. Karn laughed endearingly.
"Just make sure you're back before dark. Can't have you getting lost," she joked as I headed for the door.
"Promise!"
It seemed as if everyone was wanting to get a look at the Prince. The streets were packed with people, young and old alike. Luckily, I was able to push my way to the front of the crowd.
All of a sudden, I felt a push on my mind.
Lemme see. Lemme see, a voice chirped.
Not right now, I countered.
Oh come on. Pppplllleeeaaassseeeee? I sighed mentally. Hopeless. Utterly hopeless.
Fine, I conceded. You've got ten minutes.
Yippee!
I felt a portion of my energy leave me in a bright green stream as it shaped into a large, brown furball hovering just above my head.
Ahh, Kuriboh sighed happily, doing a little flip. Sure feels good to be outside again. I wish you would let me out more often.
"I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times, you draw too much attention," I griped.
Here he comes! Kuriboh shouted suddenly, completely ignoring my comment. I see him!
I stretched onto my tiptoes, trying to peer over the crowd. Farther up the road, people were already beginning to bow to their future ruler, making it easier to see.
And there he was. The Prince of Egypt. He was so…handsome. Incredibly so.
I quickly drank in every single detail of his figure as I bowed in respect. He wore a long tunic that was split down the middle, held to his body by a royal blue belt. His perfectly sculpted chest and torso were bare, his glistening skin was the color of fresh sugar cane. His golden armbands clung tightly to his biceps. A deep red cape the color of fine red wine hung on his shoulders, flowing regally behind him. I couldn't make myself look away.
In all of his utter beauty, there was one feature that was unmistakably out of place. His scowl. It seemed the only thing that didn't fit with the rest of him. That scowl and the hard look in his blazing crimson eyes.
I wonder why he's so mad, Kuriboh asked from beside me, having also bowed as his subject.
Yeah…
Atem gazed boredly at the kneeling crowd. He still had no idea why he felt the need to visit this place, but it was better than what he normally did: wander around the palace all day looking for something to do.
He remembered what Isis had said just before he'd left this morning, "My Prince, be very wary. Your life is in grave danger today. Someone will try and make an attempt on your life." At the time, he'd just blown her off. After all, that was one of the risks of being the son of the Pharaoh. But now he was starting to have his doubts. As he looked down upon his people he began to wonder: if they were to witness this attempt that Isis had predicted, would any of them bother to try and save him?
Or would they just sit back and watch him die?
Something's wrong, I thought to Kuriboh. I looked around the street carefully.
I feel it too, he thought back.
I glanced up at a rooftop across the street from where we were. Standing there was a hooded figure staring down at the Prince. He raised a bow to firing position, a single arrow in the string. Behind him, was the shadow of a Creature the likes of which I'd never seen before. The figure pulled the string to fire his weapon.
Without warning, he let loose the arrow.
"Look out!"
Atem whipped around as the arrow whizzed toward him. There wasn't any time to try and run or dodge.
Next thing he knew, he was on the ground, having been pushed out of the way by a soft, floating mass.
The Creature let out a shrill yelp as the arrow pierced its flesh. Some 150 cubits away, someone else cried out in pain. A young girl around his age clutched her torso, trembling. Atem approached her cautiously, not entirely certain it wasn't a trap.
As he grew closer, he could hear her saying something, though he couldn't make out what it was. "Speak up," he instructed her. She gazed up at him, her striking green eyes swimming with a desperation to survive.
"Please." Her voice shook as she spoke. "You have to take the arrow out."
"Remove the arrow from the Creature!" the Prince ordered to one of his men. They pulled the arrow from the beast's body, and immediately the girl's tremors ceased.
"Sire, this arrow's been poisoned!" one of the guards cried as he examined the weapon's tip.
"What?"
"And whoever the would-be assassin was, they were quite skilled. A poison of this caliber could kill a hundred men. A small cut from this would result in death within minutes. This Creature took a direct hit. I don't think-"
Just then, the furry Creature popped up into the air as lively as before. It had no visible mouth, yet Atem could swear it was grinning wildly at him. The girl was back on her feet as well.
"B-but…that's impossible," the guard sputtered. "I don't-"
The floating ball of joy spun merrily around its master before nuzzling her cheek in endearment. The girl giggled. "It's true. The arrow had been poisoned. And had it not been removed, Kuriboh and I would both be dead." Kuriboh chirped happily, diving underneath the girl's arm as a signal that it wanted affection. She complied, rubbing its head as it purred contentedly.
"However," the girl continued, "once the arrow was gone, Kuriboh here was able to use the poison in its blood as an antidote, turning the poison back on itself." The Creature looked back at Atem and nodded excitedly.
"What's your name, girl?" Atem asked slowly. The girl knelt back down respectfully to her future Pharaoh, her Creature following her example.
"My name is Rhea, sire," she said. "I am the daughter of the merchant Bato-"
"I asked only for your name," Atem interjected. "Any other information is entirely useless to me."
I caught myself. I had forgotten that the Prince wasn't exactly sociable. I hung my head lower, feeling the weight of his authority over me.
"Yes, sir." He turned to walk away, addressing his guard as he did so.
"Fetch the Creature. We're taking it back to the palace with us." My head shot back up. Kuriboh flew into the air, just out of reach of the guards.
No! I don't wanna go! I don't wanna go!
"You can't do that!" I protested, returning to my feet. The Prince glared at me viciously.
"I can do as I please." He turned back, and stepped closer to me, his shadow of power engulfing me. "You should be proud. This beast is going to serve as my guardian at the palace." His cold stare sent chills down my spine. There was not a glimpse of warmth in his flaming red eyes.
"I can assure you, you will be compensated for your contribution," he continued.
"I don't want your money," I spat, sounding braver than I felt. "I want my Kuriboh." He narrowed his eyes dangerously at me.
"If you continue to resist me," he hissed through clenched teeth. "I'll have no choice but to have you arrested."
"I won't allow you to take my Kuriboh from me," I informed him, lowering my voice.
"I'm afraid that's not your decision to make. Guards!"
"Kuriboh!" Kuriboh disappeared into a stream of green energy, diving straight down into my body. I felt his surge of power as we became one again. I looked back at the Prince, raisin an eyebrow expectantly.
While the faces of the guards were astonished and baffled, the Prince's expression remained unchanged.
"If you think," he growled, "that by reuniting with your Creature, that you've somehow saved yourselves, I'm afraid you're gravely mistaken." He nodded back to the guards, who broke free of their dazes and grabbed me. I was placed in shackles and led to the palace.
I took one last look at the rooftop. The hooded figure was gone, and I was about to lose my Kuriboh.
Sorry Karn, I thought ruefully. I don't think I'll be back any time soon.
Okay everybody. Here's my thought process on this story. One HUMONGOUS plothole that I noticed in the Yu-Gi-Oh series was that during seasons 3 & 4, Atem was considered to be a tyrant Pharaoh, but when it came to season 5, it was all card games and butterflies from start to finish. This kinda bugged me. Plus, many of Yami's cards were mentioned as Shadow Creatures in the memories, but I couldn't find Kuriboh. That oh-so-special fuzzball that everybody loves was nowhere to be found. This fact also ticked me off. So, I thought, why not create an explanation for both? And that's how this came to be.
If you couldn't tell by the description, Atem is supposed to be wearing his garments from pre-season-5 flashbacks. Wasn't exactly sure if that was made apparant. :/
Also, for those of you who don't know, a cubit was a unit of measurement used by the ancient Egyptians. It measured from the Pharaoh's elbow to the tip of his middle finger, which is equivalent to about 1 1/2 feet or .5m by today's measurements. I'll be using this measurement a lot in place of meters or feet or yards, etc. Anything smaller than a cubit, I'll just use centimeters. If I require any considerable distance, I'll use kilometers or if it's a village, I'll just use how long it would take to get there on horseback.