A/N: This is my first fanfic. I apologize in advance for any grammar, spelling, or factual mistakes, but I don't think there are too many. And I tried really hard not to get too OOC with Atem, but I haven't actually seen all the episodes yet so I'm not sure how he acted as Pharaoh.
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh, but the OC's are mine.
To Capture the Divine
Chapter 1: Of Death and New Beginnings
The hot Egyptian sun beat down on her shoulders as she hurried through the streets. She paid little attention to where she was going; she had been this way many times before, but today her errand was of especial importance. The High-Priestess had sent her to pick up more sacred herbs from a neighboring temple, for there was to be royalty visiting today. The great Pharaoh had recently passed away, but now the seventy days of mourning and preparation were passed; his body had been readied for its journey to the afterlife and all that was left now was to send it on its way with prayers. It was only natural that Prince Atem would visit the temple of Isis, after all, she was the queen of the Underworld and she would see the dead Pharaoh's soul through his journey to the realm of Osiris.
The herbs clutched closely in her arms, the girl deftly picked her way through the milling people. All around her the streets buzzed with movement: men bargaining loudly, women hurrying through the streets with covered faces, and servants out on errands. But she paid little attention to them, she had to get back to the temple to help prepare for the Prince's visit. Besides, the High-Priestess wouldn't be pleased if she was late.
As with all the priestesses of her sect, the girl was required to wear the customary veil over her hair. The cloth hid a head of beautiful brown locks and a clever wit, it was fitting that the girl shared the name of the goddess she served. Like her namesake, she was very bright and rather pretty, but she had been a lowly priestess for as long as she could remember. She didn't know her parents; they had abandoned her on the temple steps when she was a small child. The High-Priestess had taken her in out of kindness, something she would never let Isis forget. Just because she was named after a goddess, there was no reason to give her special treatment. Although I can't say it's been a bad life, Isis thought, nor that I'm just a 'lowly priestess' either. The servants of Isis are among the most respected in the land, men in high places do not come to them only after the deaths of relatives, but also to seek their advice on all kinds of matters.
As Isis continued to make her way through the city her thoughts drifted to the young Prince Atem. Well, I guess he's Pharaoh Atem now. He wasn't much older than she, yet he was to inherit the most powerful kingdom in the world. And what an intriguing man he was. Isis had heard rumors about him: he was kind, just, incredibly handsome, and he always got what he wanted. And today he wants his father to be safely seen to the afterlife by the goddess. Well, I suppose he shall have it. The High-Priestess is determined to please him.
Isis ascended the steps to the temple. As soon as she crossed the threshold, the sweet scent of burning incense overwhelmed her. She brought her bundle to the sacred room behind the alter. Only priestesses could enter here, for this was where they communed with their goddess, and it was here that the High-Priestess would speak to the Queen of the Underworld.
"Isis, where have you been all this time?" A shrill voice rang out from one of the neighboring rooms. Isis would know that voice anywhere—it was the High-Priestess Akila.
"I apologize, my lady. The streets were very crowded. Besides the usual throngs of venders and shopkeepers there was an additional multitude of people on their way to the here to attend the Pharaoh's ceremony.
"I will not stand for excuses, child," the High-Priestess replied. "Prince Atem and the royal procession will be here in only a few hours! Go freshen up and ready yourself for the ceremony! You have an important role to play, do not disgrace your mistress!"
All was quiet in the great hall that morning. Atem felt uncomfortable sitting in his father's throne, but he would have to get used to it, for tomorrow he was to be crowned Pharaoh of Egypt. Today, however, he shouldn't be dwelling on the future. All I need to do right now is continue to pray for my father's soul. He may have been harsh to me at times, but he was still my father and I owe him that much, at least.
Memories flooded the Prince's mind: his childhood, his mother, standing by his father's side as the Pharaoh taught him about what it took to be a good ruler. I am well prepared. Atem was so preoccupied that he almost didn't hear when Asim call his name.
"My Prince." Asim knelt before Atem, awaiting the young man's permission before he continued with what he had to say.
Atem nodded for Asim to go on. The man was one of his father's most loyal and trusted advisors, a position he would keep in Atem's court.
"The royal procession is ready, my lord. We only wait for your word before we begin the journey to the temple of Isis."
"Then we shall begin now. I am ready." Atem got up off the royal throne and through the palace halls until he reached his waiting chariot. He gave the signal; the procession began to move.
Isis could hear the procession before she could even see it. The marching of thousands of feet and the thundering of the horses' hooves made the earth shake. She had been given two hours to refresh herself before the ceremony. A bath and a set of clean clothes had gotten rid of the street dirt that clung to her, although it hadn't gotten rid of the nervous feeling she had in the pit of her stomach. Everything had to go right today, if she made any mistakes…well, she didn't want to think about that.
She and the other priestesses stood on the temple steps, waiting to welcome the Pharaoh's body when it arrived. The parade was in sight now, no more than ten minutes from the temple grounds. In addition to the Pharaoh's regular followers thousands of civilians were joining the procession as it made its way through the streets. It seemed everyone wanted to come wish the late pharaoh well on his journey. At the head of the group were servants waving palm leaf fans, followed by the royal priests in their chariots. At the head of these magi was the High-Priest Seth, looking magnificent and powerful in his cheetah skin robe and leading his followers in sacred chants as they drove. After the priests came the Pharaoh's body held high on a litter and shaded from the sun by a white canopy. It was wrapped in clean white linen strips and bedecked in golden ankhs and other sacred symbols. Atem was not far behind his father and making an even more striking figure than High-Priest Seth. His well-muscled, bronzed skin shone, the gold jewelry he wore glinted in the sun, and the stern look on his face was enough to strike awe into all who saw him. I won't deny that the rumors are true, he is rather good looking. Isis quickly gave herself a mental shake before any more unruly thoughts could cross her mind.
The procession had finally arrived. The Pharaoh's body was escorted up the temple steps and placed before the sacred alter. Only the priests, Atem, and his court could fit inside the temple building; the remainder of the procession stood outside, but they did not intend to leave their Pharaoh now. Dead silence blanketed the hall. Finally, Atem spoke.
"High-Priestess Akila," his deep, melodious voice echoed in the silence, "my father, the great pharaoh Akunumkanon, lies before you waiting to be sent on to the afterlife where he will be judged before all the gods. As High-Priestess of the temple of the goddess Isis, Queen of the Underworld, I bid you to commune with your mistress and ask her to guide my father on his journey. Your priestesses must pray for his soul, for his journey is to be a long one and he must have the proper guidance and courage, although he is not lacking in the latter. The required seventy days to prepare his body have passed, now it is time for him to truly depart from this world."
"My Prince," Akila answered, "I will do my utmost to invoke the power of the goddess in Pharaoh Akunumkanon's favor, although I have no doubt that she has already blessed him now as he was blessed in life. When it comes time for his heart to be weighed against the Feather of Truth, I am certain his heart will prove the lighter, and then he will be escorted by the lady Isis to her dominion in the Underworld."
Silence overwhelmed the hall again. It was now time for the most important stage of the ceremony. The priestesses brought in a young bull to sacrifice to Isis in the hopes that she would look favorably upon the dead pharaoh's soul. According to custom, the High-Priestess then went into the sacred room to commune with the goddess while the guests offered up their prayers.
Rivulets of the red blood flowed through cracks in the temple's sandstone floor and the bull's dying moan reverberated through the hall. Isis averted her eyes, she still hadn't gotten used to the bloody sacrifices. Don't be sick now, Isi. This is your moment! You've been practicing hard these past few weeks, you just can't mess it up! She thought to herself. For many days now she had been preparing for her most important role in the ceremony. Akila was in the sacred room, and Isis had to take her place in leading the song and dance over the bull's body. Bracing herself, she took a deep breath and began the song. Her low, sweet voice shattered the silence and the fluid movements of her body broke the stillness in the hall. It seemed to Isis that every second was an hour, but in truth it was only a few minutes before the rest of the priestesses joined in.
The final notes of the dancers' voices echoed across the room. Isis took a deep breath, she had done it. It was her first major performance in front of a large audience, and royalty no less! Normally Akila restricted her to only performing the rites during private funerals, but this was a sure sign that she was rising in the High-Priestess's favor. It's finished. I haven't disgraced myself, the temple, or the goddess, take that Akila! She looked briefly into the crowd to see expressions of appreciation still gracing their faces. And what about Atem? She glanced in his direction and immediately wished she hadn't, for he was looking right back at her. Those powerful violet eyes were too much for Isis, she couldn't look away; they seemed to stare into the depths of her very soul. It was disrespectful for anyone to look directly into the eyes of royalty, what he must think of her! She could feel her cheeks burning up in shame and when she broke free of his gaze she silently vowed never to lift her eyes from the floor again. She was lucky if he didn't have her punished for such disrespect! All the time she could still feel his eyes boring into her, but what was it she had seen in those violet orbs? Anger? No, they had been sparkling in…amusement? Was he laughing at her? How dare he! I just made what might have been the biggest mistake in my life and he finds it funny?
In truth, Atem did find the girl's struggle quite amusing. She has spirit and her voice is quite captivating, but who is she? A priestess, no doubt, but how can one so young have the privilege of performing holy rites at a pharaoh's funeral? Those fiery brown eyes had been averted, now she seemed to have become extremely interested in a crack in the floor. It was all quite funny, if the gravity of the situation was not so severe he would have laughed aloud. Her cheeks had turned fiery red and her mouth hardened in a tight line as if she were challenging him, but he found that only more amusing. If anything it served to make her features more pleasing to the eye.
Suddenly, Akila appeared again, and when she did she walked as if in a trance, her eyes glazed over and her movements uneven. "People of Egypt," she called to the crowd, "the goddess Isis smiles upon our late Pharaoh."
Those words were enough to send cheers rippling through the crowd. The Pharaoh was now in the last stretch of his journey. He had only to be brought to his tomb and finally laid to rest in the Valley of the Kings. Atem and the magi murmured thanks to the goddess and led the procession out of the hall and across the temple grounds. The oppressive silence that had reigned in the hall was banished. The people rejoiced that their Pharaoh had been shown such favor: he was finally to have peace.
This had to be the busiest week in Atem's life. His father hadn't been buried twenty-four hours before his royal advisors were pestering him about preparations for his coronation. Slaves had been bustling through the palace halls all day arranging flowers here, tidying furniture there, and going in and out of the Pharaoh's chambers bearing ceremony clothes and jewels.
Atem sighed, couldn't he have any peace? He was the Pharaoh-to-be! Surely if he just waved his hand in dismissal they would all just disappear and—
"Prince Atem, I think the red cape would be the best for this occasion. And perhaps, these gold armbands?" Asim's voice interrupted Atem's thoughts.
"Yes, Asim. I'm sure that will be fine." Atem wasn't interested in any of the finery before him. In fact, he would much prefer if his crowning could be a private hour-long affair. And there was no denying that he had other things on his mind. Who was that girl? And why do I keep seeing her face? I can't seem to banish her from my mind! And about the coronation, it is supposed to be a spiritual rite of momentous proportions. My soul is to be united with the souls of all previous Egyptian pharaohs making me a living god! How does it feel? What if the gods do not deem my soul worthy?
"My lord, are you well?" Asim inquired.
"Yes, I'm fine. Just a little preoccupied is all," Atem returned.
"If I may speak to you as a friend to a friend…?" The Prince nodded and Asim continued. "Atem, I was your father's most trusted advisor and a loyal friend. It would be my honor to be the same to you, just know you can tell me if something, anything, is bothering you."
"Thank you, Asim. And it would be my honor to have you as a friend, but honestly, I'm alright. It's just pre-coronation jitters." He offered a weak smile to the older man.
"Very well, my Prince."
Atem slowly trod the path through the throne room. Nobles from all over Egypt had gathered to witness the crowning of their new king. Of course, according to Egyptian custom he had ascended the throne as Akunumkanon's successor the day after his father had died, but he was not to be officially crowned Pharaoh until today. The High-Priest Seth was to perform the ceremonies and invest Atem with the powers of his predecessors.
This was it. Atem closed his eyes as Seth slowly lowered the thin gold band onto his head, the eye of Ra engraved upon it settling smoothly on his forehead. A rush of spiritual energy burst into Atem's being. He could feel the presence of many souls around him, infusing him with their strength and power. He could feel his soul uniting with the royal ka* [A/N: That is, the royal spirit. The new Pharaoh was made into a living god in this process.], if it didn't stop soon he would burst! It felt as if the very fiber of his being was tearing itself apart and then reuniting in an excess of power. And then, as suddenly as it had started, it was over.
"People of Egypt, behold your new Pharaoh!" Seth shouted the words to the crowd.
Atem breathed a sigh of relief, his soul had been accepted; he was the new Pharaoh of Egypt! He could feel the power still flowing through his blood like fire, it was thrilling! But the ceremonies weren't over yet there was still the banquet to attend. He made a stately exit of the hall before making his way to the feast.
It was hours before the dinner was over. Atem had to suffer such a stream of profuse congratulations that he barely even had time to eat at his own party. When he retired to his rooms for the night servants helped him out of his ceremonial garb while others prepared a bath. After refreshing himself and dismissing the slaves, he retired to his bed. Scarcely had his head touched the pillow before he was asleep. No dreams of brown-eyed priestesses or golden crowns would disturb him tonight.
A/N: So what do you guys think? Is it worth continuing?