This was actually a completely different story I was writing about a French prince but I though it could apply to this as well. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Yu-Gi-Oh! series.

Ancient Egypt

The pounding hoof beats of the black stallion against the stone masonry was a welcome herald in the prince's ears. He gripped the saddle tighter with his knees and urged the horse faster. His short breath came in small puffs as he laughed with joy.

The stallion sped through the night, moonlight shyly peeking out behind the dense cover of the clouds. The prince slowed his mount and crested the hill to look down upon a small hovel below. The prince grinned and urged his mount toward the small house.

Slower and slower the house came into full view. The corral was dotted with sheep and two work mules either sleeping or eating. The windows were alight from many candles sitting on their sills. The prince stopped and dismounted near the gate and led his horse into the pasture. Patting the horse's neck and offering a sugar cube as a reward, he spun on his heels and walked to the hovel.

He crept around the herb garden and the chicken coops and shuffled quietly to the door. Using a special coded knock, the door was opened to reveal a rather haggard, bent old man. He smiled toothlessly as he ushered the prince inside.

"It would seem you were able to sneak out after all," old Solomon said as he seated the prince and took his large traveling cloak. "Well, in any case, I'm glad we decided to meet for I feel the location of the portal will be revealed to us tonight," he continued, handing the prince a mug of warm wine.

"I hope you're right, my friend. I am to be wed to that dreadful Lady Tryphaena in less than a fortnight. If the message about the maiden in my dreams was correct, the portal should lead me to her," Prince Atem sighed, reflecting on the dream maiden that had come to him every night for nearly a month.

She always looked the same way every time she had visited his dreams. She had long tresses of honey-brown hair that flowed down her back like waves of melted toffee. She always wore a long linen gown with a low-cut neckline, graceful sleeves and a collar made of gold and studded with rubies, inlaid with other stones and lapis lazuli. On her feet were slippers of gold and a gold belt studded with sapphires always encircled her shapely waist.

But it wasn't her appearance that appealed to him most, it was her eyes. Her eyes, shaped like fresh cut almonds, were the colour of stormy skies and glacier ice. Behind those eyes he saw himself holding her in his arms and bending down to give her his mouth in a pledge of love, but at the moment when his lips were almost touching hers, he awoke.

"My prince, are you listening to me?" Solomon spoke up, bringing Atem back from his daydreams.

"I'm sorry." Atem apologized; heat rushing to his face in embarrassment. There was no denying it; never in all his seventeen years on Earth did he love somebody so much. Focusing his attention back on the ancient man in front of him, bending his head low, he concentrated all of his energy on finding the portal and his unknown love.

"Good, Atem, focus on the portal! Focus on the girl! The time is nigh!" Solomon closed his eyes and planted his hands deep into the soft earthen floor. He felt the magic in the ground seep into his fingertips and up his old arms, spreading warmth throughout his entire body. Atem then reached forward, placing his hands on the old man's wrinkled forehead.

Suddenly the entire layout of the surrounding countryside exploded before his eyes. He could see the desert through which he'd come, the palace along the sea so loved by his mother and father; and on a hill not far from the hovel shone an eerie green column of light. Atem watched in wonder as the column almost seemed to pulsate with silver shimmers of light. Solomon retrieved his hands from the dirt and beckoned Atem to the window. The column stood tall and bold, bravely standing as a beacon to bring in the seekers of their desires. Solomon looked to Atem and led him to the door.

"You know what to do, Your Majesty. Ride quickly for you do not have much time. Step in to the column and search your heart. The portal will guide you to her," he said. He added, "May Ra watch over you, my son." Tears were shining in his eyes.

Atem nodded and kissed the old man's forehead good-bye. He ran to the corral, led his stallion out in the direction of the green pillar and mounted. He took a deep breath and kicked his horse into a full speed gallop.

Nearly an hour later, the prince and his mount had reached the portal. Atem watched the column swirl and expel green shafts of light, beckoning him inside. He grabbed his horse's reins and led both the beast and himself into it.

Closing his eyes he pictured the girl standing before him, her arms reaching out to him, trying to draw him to her. His heart sang and his breath was snatched away as the column constricted around him as he felt his feet leave the ground and was plunged back into pure darkness.

After an insurmountable amount of time, he felt his feet hit the ground. Slowly and surely, he opened his eyes. The brilliant light of the green column was replaced by the soft glow of the crescent moon. Stepping cautiously onto hard ground, Atem observed his surroundings.

Buildings crowded down a paved avenue and strange wooden poles with cables strung between them stood like sentinels on the dead streets. What an odd place, Atem thought. There were no horses, no marketplaces, and no form of life anywhere.

Atem mounted his stallion and began to trot down a paved path beside a park. Out in the distance the prince saw the first human in this strange place since himself. As he drew closer, he could tell it was a woman, but she wore britches like a man. But what shocked him the most was that under her dark cap there fell long locks of honey-brown toffee.

Today

Anzu never really prized her looks. The only things she truly thought were beautiful were her hair and her eyes. She thought her eyes were the colour of the calm before the storm. But other than that, she never prized her looks.

That morning had been a cooler one, and the evening was no exception. She bundled up in a sweater and a dark cap. She let her hair fall down her back to keep the wind at bay from her neck. With a pair of mittens in hand, she set off down the street.

It was odd seeing the streets of the city so empty like this, not that Anzu minded. There were no cars, no civilians, not even a stray cat ventured out into the cold night air. It was so…dead. Anzu continued to walk down the street until she began to hear something similar to hoof beats on the pavement. Not wanting to turn around and acknowledge the sounds' presence, she continued to walk as the beats were becoming louder and closer.

Soon enough it seemed that the mystery stranger was indeed after her. She began to walk faster, but the stranger kept the pace. Before long Anzu was sprinting to get away from the stranger, but now she was sure there was a horse; its hooves pounding a steady beat into the pavement.

At the end of the street she turned sharply to the left, towards a crowded parking lot. She ran and scurried quickly under an SUV and tried to still her raging heartbeat. Now all was quiet. Did she lose him? She was about to crawl form underneath the vehicle when a booted foot appeared. Peeking slyly from behind a tire, Anzu caught the first glimpses of her pursuer.

He was breathtaking, just like the princes she saw carved into the stones of the Ancient Egyptian museum. He wore laced sandals, a long linen tunic and he wore lots of gold; a studded belt and a gold crown. On his neck hung a sort of keepsake, an upside-down pyramid with an eye on it. He was well built for his, Anzu guessed, seventeen or eighteen years.

Even his face was beautiful! He bore spiky red hair that had tips the colour of raven's wings, his long blond bangs hanging over his tanned face. There was even a pesky lock that kept falling into his eyes. And, oh, those eyes! Glowing orbs of liquid amethysts flashed with mischief. His straight and perfect nose, square jaw and full lips made this guy the stuff of fantasies. Unknowingly she began to slide out from her hiding place until the stranger started to speak.

"Where are you, my lotus flower? I need to speak with you, for I believe you hold the promise proposed in my dreams. Please, reveal yourself to me!" He stood quietly for a moment, eyes darting form side to side. Suddenly, as quickly as he had appeared, he was gone.

Anzu let out a long sight of relief. He was finally gone. She wiggled out from behind the tire and dusted the rubble form her pants. She bent backwards and was greeted by several pops of cracking vertebrae. Shaking off the stiffness, she ran into the darkness of the nearby park.

Part 2 coming soon! Please R&R!