Author's Note: Greetings and welcome to Access Denied. I've tried to make this story as user-friendly as possible, but it is a sequel to Virtually Yours - which means that some parts might not make sense without having read the previous story.
Disclaimer: I own none of the characters or concepts behind Yugioh, so no suing. I'm poor, so you wouldn't get a lot out of me anyway. Age of Heroes, however, while drawing gameplay ideas from various RPGs, has pretty much grown into my own creation.
Warning: Yaoi ahead! Established Puppyshipping and (eventually) a bit of what I call Fopshipping, since I haven't found a name for the pairing. This will be the only warning.
Access Denied
A Rose by Any Other Name is Still a Prick
Siegfried von Schroeder, arguably the greatest hacker in the world, leaned back in his computer chair to admire his handiwork. Though his current business dealings with his longtime rival, Seto Kaiba, were in the realm of the legitimate, Siegfried knew he was on the verge of violating the spirit of their truce. Siegfried plucked a rose out of the vase beside his computer, breathing in the flower's scent as his thoughts dwelled briefly on his business arrangement with Kaiba.
Having witnessed Siegfried's masterful computer skills firsthand, Kaiba had hired his company to do the AI programming for the major characters in his little fantasy role-playing game - Age of Heroes. Oh, there had been provisions of course. Seto Kaiba was not foolish enough to give Siegfried free rein amongst the game characters. The characters couldn't be self-aware, like three of Siegfried's early experiments were. Ever-controlling, Kaiba wanted his game characters to remain bound to their scripts.
Most definitely, there had been nothing in the negotiations about the tinkering Siegfried was currently busying himself with, but Kaiba would still disapprove if he knew. Comparing the game princess onscreen with the woman in the old newspaper clipping taped to his monitor, Siegfried made some minuscule adjustments. She had to be perfect if she were to accomplish her purpose.
The original design for Princess Ophelia hadn't been anything to write home about. She'd been the typical fair-skinned princess who, if one were waxing poetic, sounded more like a jewelry shop than a person with her ruby lips and sapphire eyes. Her personality had been cold and aloof. As far as Siegfried was concerned, he'd done the girl a favor by completely redesigning her.
According to the character notes that Siegfried found on the Kaiba Corp network - a network that he knew he had no business nosing around on - Ophelia was betrothed to a Prince Henry of Agincourt. She had once been planning on accepting the betrothal docilely, even though she'd never met this prince. It had been a cradle betrothal, but now, thanks to Siegfried's skillful programming, the princess would not be happy until she found true love. And, of course, with Siegfried dictating her personality, the traits she sought in her true love were clearly defined.
Finding a picture of the woman Siegfried wanted to remodel the princess after had been child's play. A search of a newspaper archive had yielded the clipping Siegfried had taped to his monitor - an engagement announcement complete with photo of the young couple casting each other doe-eyed fawning looks. Recreating the woman's voice and personality had been a trickier feat. But still, even the dead could talk with the proper coaxing.
By posing as a representative of a business that took even the grainiest home movie and burned it to a DVD in the cleanest copying process possible, Siegfried had been able to convince the woman's family to give over the videos of their precious daughter. As he promised, the family's videos were captured clearly and crisply on disc. He'd just not mentioned that he'd made a copy of that disc for his own perusal.
Siegfried had used his computer system to capture samples of the woman's voice from the videos, and the machine had run its calculations to simulate the voice. "Testing," Siegfried murmured into a microphone, a smile playing about his lips as the Princess Ophelia repeated the word in a rich contralto - a perfect match of the voice on the videos.
"Ah, Herr Pegasus," Siegfried murmured to the man in the newspaper photo. "I think you will perhaps like my little surprise. It is, after all, rare for ones wife to come back from the dead." This programmed character would be Siegfried's eyes and ears in the game world. When he was logged in, he would control her as he pressed the creator of the most popular card game in the world for information - information that Siegfried could use to make Schroeder Corp the number one gaming company in the world. When Siegfried was not logged in, the princess would play her role as programmed and seek to get closer to Pegasus. All the while, Siegfried's computer systems would be set to record their time together, so that he would not miss a single thing that could be used to his advantage.
Siegfried's moment of basking in his own brilliance was interrupted by a soft knock at the door. "Enter!" he snapped peevishly. As the door opened and he caught a glimpse of the small form standing in the entranceway, Siegfried began to regret his tone.
"Siegfried, you've been in here for hours. Aren't you ever going to bed?" Despite his young age, Siegfried's little brother could nag like a mother hen when he put his mind to it. Leon entered into the computer room - a place where few dared to tread without Siegfried's permission. He stepped carefully amidst the myriad electronic devices as he made his way to Siegfried. "You are still you, aren't you?"
Siegfried nodded, recalling the incident some months back where he'd been trapped in the virtual world as his body fell under the control of a malicious program modeled after Kaiba's adoptive father. Leon never talked about those few days where Siegfried had not been himself, and Siegfried never pried. Occasionally, Leon needed reassurance that another didn't possess his brother again, and so they'd worked out a code. "Hey diddle diddle, the cat and the fiddle," Siegfried murmured as he pulled his little brother into a hug.
Leon smiled at the silly rhyme that told him Siegfried was still Siegfried. "It snowed today - huge drifts everywhere. They'll be packed down nicely tomorrow."
"Then tomorrow," Siegfried declared solemnly, "we shall go sledding." With a delighted squeak at the answer to his unasked question, Leon tightened his hug. Running a company left Siegfried with little time to himself, but some things held more importance than the bottom line. If he couldn't manage to find the time to spend a couple of hours with his little brother, then he would make the time. "Now let us both get to bed," Siegfried added, allowing himself a yawn. "We do not want to be falling asleep on our sleds."
In response, Leon went limp in Siegfried's arms. Siegfried glared at the boy without any real malice. "Don't tell me that I'm going to have to carry you to your room!" Fake snores were Siegfried's only answer. "Perhaps I should sell you to Herr Kaiba," Siegfried snapped in mock anger as he rose from his chair, little brother cradled carefully in his arms. "Maybe I could get a new set of fountain pens in exchange for you." The fake snoring grew louder in an attempt to drown out Siegfried's equally fake complaints.
Once he had Leon tucked in for the night, Siegfried went to his own room. He changed into silk pajamas and sat on the window seat to admire the view. Tall pines loomed over the snow-covered landscape - speckles of darkness in a white-blanketed world. From what he could tell, tomorrow would be a perfect day for a romp in the snow. Siegfried poured himself a glass of wine and smiled. Once playtime was through, he would retire to his computer room to put an even more intriguing game into motion.
Before retiring for the night, Siegfriend spent some time with his day planner, making notes on what could be rescheduled so that he would have time for both Leon and Kaiba's game. On a piece of stationary, he wrote out a note to his secretary listing the times in which his appointments could be rescheduled, as well as what excuse to use to explain his absence. He would have the planner and note delivered to the woman tomorrow, and she would take care of everything. Satisfied that the next day was properly prepared for, Siegfried at last permitted sleep to take him.
The first rays of dawn found Siegfried sleeping soundly, sprawled across his bed. At least, he slept soundly until Leon came barreling into his room. The boy pounced on his brother, eager to get him out of bed. "Ten more minutes," Siegfried moaned. Rather than letting Siegfried sleep in, however, Leon began shaking his shoulder relentlessly. "I'm up! I'm up!" Siegfried sighed, surrendering in the face of his brother's tenaciousness.
"And Leon von Schroeder is victorious!" Leon declared, showboating for an imaginary crowd. Siegfried threw a pillow at him. Not about to let a challenge go unanswered - a trait the brothers shared - Leon grabbed the previously airborne pillow and smacked Siegfried with it.
"You would challenge me? Ha!" Siegfried armed himself with a pillow. "Not only am I a master Duelist, Leon, but I am also a champion pillow-warrior!" As he swung his "weapon," Leon rolled off the bed. Soon the two were off on a merry chase through the halls, laughing and swinging pillows at each other. Such a scene of youthful exuberance would never have been seen in the castle while their parents had been in residence.
The normally prim and proper Siegfried was red-faced and disheveled as he and Leon burst into the kitchen. The smell of freshly cooked food set both boys' mouths to watering. "Truce?" Siegfried offered.
Leon nodded. "We finish this outside!" With that decided, Siegfried helped himself to a bagel, some sliced fruit, and - most important - a steaming mug of coffee. He began doctoring the bitter drink, never having developed a taste for straight coffee. "How about some coffee with your cream and sugar?" Leon snickered.
"I do not make fun of that chocolate cereal that you eat," Siegfried muttered with a disdaining sniff. He preferred to keep his critiques silent as he passed Leon a plate of orange slices - a wordless hint that Leon needed to eat healthier. Rolling his eyes, Leon grabbed one of the orange slices and stuffed it in his mouth. Then he grinned at Siegfried around the orange rind, nearly causing a coffee spit-take.
Once they'd eaten and dressed for the weather, the boys went out into the winter wonderland, where their battle began again. This time the boys fought with snowballs instead of pillows. In the end, the snowball battle was declared a draw, though each boy privately felt that he had won. The rest of the morning was spent sledding downhill in races where victory was more clear-cut.
It was around noon when Siegfried and Leon decided to call it a day. The boys stomped the snow off their boots on the patio and shed their coats in the foyer. A maid was already standing by with a tray holding two mugs of hot, spiced cider. "Have my lunch brought to the computer room," Siegfried told her as he took a mug. He took a sip of the steaming drink and strolled away. Leon could entertain himself for the rest of the day.
Soon Siegfried was ensconced in his private lair, enjoying a sandwich and running every test he could think of on Princess Ophelia. The last thing he wanted was to be trapped in a glitchy character's body. Being stuck in the game world once was one time too many. Satisfied that the character's programming ran to his specifications, Siegfried set himself up in his virtual reality pod and logged in.
"And furthermore," a gruff, commanding voice announced, "we will prepare a ball to welcome Prince Henry into our midst. A wedding must be properly celebrated." Wedding? So soon? But the princess wasn't supposed to be married until her eighteenth birthday! And the notes that he'd found indicated that she was sixteen going on seventeen.
Siegfried jerked his head around in the direction of the voice as the world around him came into focus. The king - Siegfried frowned as he found himself unable to remember the man's name - lounged indolently upon his throne. He was bulky, but it was the bulk of muscle, as though he found time to work out with his soldiers. Though his hair was greying, his eyes still held a shrewd intelligence. Age had not dulled this king's edge.
"Father," Siegfried murmured, trying to get into character. "Father, I am not ready."
The king turned to face Siegfried - lips pressed together in a thin, angry line. "You will not defy us in this, Ophelia. These are troubled times, and we must secure our alliance with Agincourt. Therefore, you will be married a fortnight hence " Siegfried winced at the use of the royal "we" - not a good, sign at all.
For the moment, Siegfried saw that his best option was to acquiesce. If he fought the wedding openly, the king would confine the princess to her rooms, and then Siegfried would never get to Pegasus. Slowly, Siegfried rose from his seat and curtsied to the king, choosing to play the dutiful daughter for the moment. "As you will, Father. For the good of our people, I shall do this thing. May I be dismissed now?"
The king nodded and Siegfried made his escape, seeking Ophelia's rooms. If he had only two weeks in which to find and win Pegasus instead of the year he'd originally allotted, then he had no time to spare. "Troubled times," Siegfried muttered to himself. He'd spent so much time concentrating on recreating Pegasus's wife that he hadn't paid any attention to recent game events. He knew that four cities had been released, but that was two months back.
Utterly frustrated, Siegfried pointed a finger imperiously at a passing servant. "You! Take me to my rooms." The servant, programmed to obey the members of the royal family, took the lead. When the servant stopped at a door, Siegfried shoved past him and into the Princess Ophelia's rooms.
First Siegfried entered a sitting room. There were several straight-backed chairs, someone's sewing abandoned upon one. A cheery fire crackled in a fireplace, warming the room. Siegfried crossed the floor to a window and glanced out over the landscape and sighed. He'd hoped that Kaiba's game world wouldn't have a winter, but apparently he was going to be spending longer in the snow today than he'd originally planned.
Growling words under his breath that no princess should know, Siegfried passed through a doorway into Ophelia's bedroom. The first thing that caught his attention was a gold-trimmed full-length mirror. He'd known that, at the moment, he was a blonde, but this was the first opportunity he'd had to truly admire his handiwork as it was meant to be admired.
Thick golden hair fell in waves down Siegfried's back, several tendrils curling around his shoulders to frame a perfect heart-shaped face. His face was dominated by a pair of wide, innocent eyes that sparkled like sunlight upon the sea. A delicate rosebud mouth slowly fell open as Siegfried stared at his reflection. He executed a leisurely turn in front of the mirror, taking in the entirety of his borrowed form. Even the videos of Cecilia Pegasus hadn't done the woman proper justice.
Siegfried didn't believe in love at first sight, no matter what the stories said. However, reverence at first sight, he found quite plausible as he examined his form. As much fun as it was to ogle his beautiful self, though, Siegfried had a mission to accomplish.
Deeming proper travel attire an absolute necessity, Siegfried tore his gaze away from his reflection and threw open Ophelia's wardrobe. "Schiesse," he muttered as only gowns met his sight. He searched through the dresses, hoping desperately for a pair of breeches. Nothing. Siegfried groaned and rested his head against the interior of the wardrobe door. The last thing he wanted was to traipse through God knew where while dressed for a party.
Vowing to program some proper travel clothing for the princess when he logged out, and cursing whichever of Kaiba's programmers felt that a princess should dress at all times like something out of one of Leon's fairy tales, Siegfried grabbed the most practical-looking dress, and started working on the maze of lacing in the dress he currently wore. After much cursing, and the dress refusing to come off, Siegfried stormed back into the sitting room and grabbed the scissors left with the sewing.
Once the dress was in tatters and off of Siegfried's body, he paused again to stare in the mirror. "Well, that is one way to gain freedom from that confining garment," he muttered, twirling again to admire every facet of his body. If there hadn't been snow outside and his hair had been longer, he might have given in to the temptation to pull a Lady Godiva.
The gown Siegfried had chosen was far simpler than the previous one. No complicated lacings existed to snarl his fingers in. He simply slid on the rich red velvet garment and tied a green sash around his waist, smiling a little over the holiday color scheme. "I am absolutely ravishing," he told his reflection with no hint of modesty. Why be modest about the truth?
"Artist-boy is online," a pre-set system message announced.
"Location?" Siegfried murmured as he began digging through the wardrobe for a cloak. Getting Pegasus's screen name had been absolute child's play. He'd simply made a note of it at the virtual party Kaiba's little boy toy threw at the end of the summer. And setting up a program to announce Pegasus's arrival into the game had been almost as easy.
"Dame Chat's home," came the programmed message.
Siegfried breathed a sigh of relief as he bundled up in a green fur-trimmed cloak. Dame Chat's home in Lilyvale was close by. He wouldn't have to go gallivanting all over the game world to find Pegasus. As he stepped back out into the hallway, Siegfried flagged down another servant and commanded him to lead the way to the castle gates. The servant, having no thoughts in its head beyond obeying the royal family did as commanded.
The guard at the gate proved to be more difficult. He crossed his arms and glared down at Siegfried. "Princess, it is not safe. You may not leave the castle."
With an unhappy growl, Siegfried stormed off to prowl the castle walls and seek another exit. He passed through the soldiers' practice grounds and by the barracks. The stables made Siegfried pause for thought. They were set flush against the castle wall. Unfortunately stables meant horses - the demon beasts of the animal kingdom.
With a shudder, Siegfried recalled his father's failed attempts at giving riding lessons. "Every proper gentleman can ride," the Schroeder patriarch had said as he'd lifted his young son onto the back of the monstrous behemoth. The beast wasted no time in throwing the boy. As Siegfried had lain on his back, trying desperately to reclaim the breath that had been knocked from him, he could have sworn that the thrice-cursed, flea-bitten beast was laughing at him. The whole species, Siegfried felt, was out to get him.
Finishing his lap of the castle, Siegfried realized there was no other way. Taking a deep breath to steel his nerves, Siegfried pushed into the stables. He could almost feel the bloodthirsty equine eyes regarding him hungrily as he made his way to a ladder set up at the back of the building, leading up to the hayloft. "Herr Pegasus," Siegfried muttered as he began climbing, "if I do not learn something to improve Schroeder Corp, then I swear that I will throw you into a pit of those slavering beasties!"
Muttering dire threats against gate guards and horses, Siegfried moved silently among the bales of hay. Only once did he let out a very lady-like shriek as a mouse darted out in his path. He added rodent-kind to his quiet threats as he finally reached the door where stable hands pitched out the hay. Having never worked as a stable hand, Siegfried didn't know if it had any specialized name. All he knew was that he could climb out it onto the roof and make his escape. "Locate Artist-boy," he commanded his programs as he began working his way out onto the roof.
"Sher Woods," came the reply.
Sher Woods - the forest around Lilyvale - was a beginner area. Getting through the forest would be easier than getting out of the castle, Siegfried decided as he almost lost his footing on the ice-slick stable roof. Moving carefully and trying not to draw attention to himself, Siegfried at last reached the wall. The drop wasn't as far as he thought it might be. He scrambled over the wall before he had the chance to talk himself out of this.
Freedom! Siegfried laughed in sheer delight at his escape. Next time he would have the guard reprogrammed to let him pass, but this time he'd succeeded! Dashing in the direction of the forest, Siegfried began his search for Pegasus.
After an hour of searching Sher Woods, Siegfried paused to lean against a tree and rest. He was tired and cold, and his feet were wet where snow had sloshed into his impractical, princessly slippers. Obviously Kaiba didn't believe that there was such a thing as too much realism. Just as he was on the verge of giving up, a familiar voice reached Siegfried's ears. It was too far away to make out the actual words, but he knew the voice. Peering around the tree, Siegfried watched as Pegasus came into view with someone bundled more appropriately for the weather strolling by his side.
Siegfried had hoped for a private first meeting, but at the moment he wasn't about to be picky. Pausing for a moment of thought, Siegfried realized that he knew just how to get Pegasus's attention. He pulled the hood of his cloak over his head, and then stooped to gather a handful of snow.