Yu-Gi-Oh! Rise of the Thief King
~I~
Kul Elna, Ancient Egypt
Nara was a tall and well-built man with dark skin, scars covering his body to show that he had run into trouble a few times. His eyes were dark and he had some strands of growing facial hair to show that he was aging. Perhaps his most extraordinary feature was his hair, which was a light shade of silver which glowed in the moonlight. Donned in rags and belts, he was returning to his small house situated close to the heart of his isolated village.
Pushing his way through the beaded curtain, Nara found his wife, Kanchani, sitting upon a small wooden stool with their young son in her arms. Kanchani had long raven hair which flowed smoothly down her back, and her eyes were a dark shade of purple. Like her husband she also had dark skin, though she was not covered in permanent wounds. Once she was a wild woman who wore a cloak, raiding sacred tombs alongside her lover, but ever since having a child she gave up her life as a grave robber.
Kanchani smiled at Nara warmly, already informing him that he was welcome home. "I take that tonight the guards didn't trouble you?" she asked him.
"Heh," Nara chuckled smugly. "I didn't see a single one. It's like they've given up trying to keep us thieves out!"
"Hm," Kanchani responded thoughtfully, her smile fading. "The guards are no fools, Nara, there must be a reason for them being absent..."
"Tch," Nara shrugged, picking up a piece of fruit from the small counter and taking a large bite out of it. "It's probably because of the war. Egypt's losing, I hear."
"That's not good," Kanchani admitted, sounding concerned. "The foreign armies will invade."
"Not our problem," Nara countered, throwing the rest of the fruit into his mouth and talking with his mouth full. "Even if there's an invasion, Kul Elna won't be a priority. Nobody knows of this village, and the Capital will be the main target for the invaders." The man swallowed hard before continuing to speak. "Besides, we've got some tough guys living here. We won't go down without a fight."
Kanchani had a worried look on her face, her eyes rolling down to look at her sleeping son. It was him she was worried for the most; she wanted her child to live a long life like she and Nara had. Her protective motherly instincts made her only want the best for her son - something she never knew she would wish for before becoming a mother.
Nara walked behind Kanchani, wrapping his arms around her and resting his head on top of hers playfully with a smug little smile on his face. "Ah, you worry too much, precious," he said nonchalantly. "Everything's gonna be fine."
"How can you be so sure?" Kanchani questioned, leaning into his hold.
"Because you've only started thinking like this since our son was born," Nara pointed out, then lifting his head from Kanchani's so that he could look at the young boy. "How is he, by the way?"
Kanchani smiled a little when Nara diverted her attention to a more positive topic. "He's been fine," she answered. "He does want to see you more, though; he doesn't like it when you leave."
"Heh," Nara chuckled again, walking in front of the two and crouching down so that he could see his child, although he did glance up at Kanchani with a teasing smile. "How about I have him for the next few days so you can go raiding?" Kanchani rolled her eyes, sighing heavily.
"You know I'm past those days," she reminded him.
"Why?" Nara pestered, standing back to his full height.
"Because I have a child, Nara," Kanchani replied.
"So do I," Nara countered, folding his arms with a smirk on his face.
"Yes, well, you're different," Kanchani huffed. Nara could only laugh.
"I know you loved the glory days!" he responded, wrapping his arm around the woman upon the stool. "You and I, traversing through trap-filled tombs with only our wits, leaving with as much gold as we could carry... Don't say you didn't love that, Kanchi!"
"I did," Kanchani admitted, smiling at the memories. Her smile vanished as she remembered that her son was in her arms. "But I want to focus on raising Bakura now."
"Ooh!" Nara suddenly exclaimed as if thinking of a great idea. "When he gets a little older, we should teach him a few of our tricks! He could be a magnificent thief!"
"With you as his father, what else could he become?" Kanchani chuckled softly. "I doubt you'd let him try to become a merchant."
"Feh!" Nara scoffed, folding his arms and shaking his head. "No son of mine will spend his days standing by a stall selling goods! He will live a life of adventure!" The man grinned, pinching Kanchani's cheek. "Just like his mama and papa."
Bakura began to stir in Kanchani's arms, letting out a tired whimper as he rubbed his eyes and allowed them to slowly crack open. He blinked a few times, tilting his head curiously before beaming excitably, bouncing up and down in his mother's lap. "Papa!" he exclaimed happily, reaching up for his father.
"Hey!" Nara smiled, lifting him out of Kanchani's arms. "How's my brave little thief?"
"Wow, you really are trying to brainwash him, aren't you?" Kanchani commented quietly yet playfully.
Bakura cuddled up to his father with a grin on his face. "I missed you!" he giggled.
"Ah, you weren't worried about me, were ya, kiddo?" Nara asked, ruffling Bakura's white hair. Bakura shook his head.
"Nuh-uh!" he answered, folding his arms.
"That's my boy," Nara grinned. "You know not to worry about your papa."
"You're strong!" Bakura chirped. "Did you beat up anyone today, papa?"
"Not today," Nara answered, "but look what I got." Nara placed Bakura on the ground, taking out a stone ushabti and placing it into his hands. "For your collection."
"Wow," Bakura gasped. "Thank you, papa!"
Nara chuckled. "Now, run along and put it with the others."
Bakura happily sprinted out of the room to place the ushabti with others his father had collected, and once he was gone Nara smiled and pulled Kanchani up to her feet.
"He really likes those things," Nara smiled, wrapping his arms around Kanchani. The woman rested her head against his chest, returning his embrace.
"You've told him to keep those safe here, right?" she asked her husband.
"Why?" Nara queried. "They're not worth much. They're just trophies."
"They prove you robbed tombs," Kanchani pointed out.
"So?" Nara shrugged. "Nobody here will rat on us. We're all the same in this village."
"But if any outsiders come..."
"Kanchi," Nara interrupted, putting his finger to her lips. "You worry too much." With Kanchani now silent, Nara smiled and held her wrist. "Outsiders aren't welcome in Kul Elna. We've all fought them off before." The thief then clipped a golden bracelet around Kanchani's wrist, then allowing her to admire the object. "Besides, you enjoy showing off the funerary relics I bring back for you; this bracelet belonged to Queen Neferuraeus."
"Well..." Kanchani started slowly, "I suppose I do love the treasures you bring back for me. They remind me of my younger years."
"I don't think I'll find anything better than my priceless piece of treasure," Nara admitted, smirking down at his wife. Kanchani got the hint but smiled up at him and questioned him, anyway.
"And what treasure is that?" she asked. Nara nuzzled her nose.
"You," he answered, then swiftly sweeping her off her feet and holding her bridal style in his arms. "Now come on, dear, let's go and see what Bakura's up to." With that, Nara carried Kanchani through the door previously used by their excited young son.
...
The Royal Palace, Ancient Egypt
While Pharaoh Akhenamkhanen and his court were greatly worried about the kingdom's future and the threat of violent conflict, the children were not even aware of the problem. Instead they were just having fun in the garden, under the watchful eye of the Pharaoh's wife, Ankhesenamon. She was watching the children as they played with her infant son: the heir to Egypt's throne if the kingdom was saved.
"He keeps trying to grab my finger," giggled Mahad, the young son of Priest Kamuzu.
"Be careful with him, children," Ankhesenamon said in response, not being able to hide a soft chuckle. Seeing how curious Atem was for his age made it quite clear that he was born to follow in his father's footsteps.
"Say Seto," commanded Seto, the young son of Priest Akhenaden. "Come on, cousin, say Seto!"
"He can't talk yet," Mahad reminded him, letting Atem finally grab his finger.
"Why not?" Seto asked, almost pouting with annoyance.
"Because he's a baby," Mahad chuckled.
"Why can't babies talk?" Seto pressed. Mahad didn't know how to answer that question. He enjoyed being the one who knew the most, especially since he was the oldest, but there were some questions he did not know the answer to.
"Babies can't talk because they need to learn," came the voice of Nefertari, daughter of Priest Masudah. She had long hair which was a unique shade of light blue, which many said was from her deceased mother, and she had bright purple eyes.
"Did we learn?" questioned Seto, his head tilted. "I don't remember learning."
"You were too young," Mahad replied, wanting to answer before Nefertari could. He could see that she wasn't really paying much attention to the conversation, instead deciding to make a chain of flowers.
Nephthys, the mother of Seto, entered the garden with a look of concern on her face, which Ankhesenamon noticed.
"What troubles you, Nephthys?" she asked her.
"It's Akhenaden," Nephthys responded quietly. "He told me that he has a dark future ahead, and he wishes for Seto and I to bid him farewell as he leaves to create the Millennium Items."
"A dark future?" queried Ankhesenamon. "What did he mean by that? He swore to my husband that those items will save Egypt."
"I'm not sure what he meant," Nephthys sighed sadly. "I'm not even sure if he was referring to the items. Perhaps he will explain when Seto and I go to see him."
"I do hope everything is okay," Ankhesenamon hoped with sad eyes. "Akhenaden is a good man; I'd hate to think he believed his future was dark."
"I worry greatly for my husband," Nephthys admitted, "but I must not keep him waiting. I'm sure we will speak again soon, my queen."
"As am I," Ankhesenamon nodded. "Tell Akhenaden I wish him good luck."
"I will," Nephthys responded before approaching her son and taking him by the hand. "Come, Seto, your father wants to see us."
"Okay, mama," Seto replied, gripping Nephthys' hand. He walked with her, turning back to wave one last time at Mahad and Nefertari. He didn't expect to see three hands waving back at him; Atem had waved for the first time.
"He waved," Mahad gasped after Nephthys and Seto had left. "He waved, my queen!"
"I saw," Ankhesenamon smiled. She would have been more excited, but she was still worried about Egypt and now she was also worried about her husband's brother, Akhenaden. Too many things were on her mind right now; she could only look at Atem and hope that there was a kingdom left for him to rule when he came of age. She didn't even want to think of him dying before he was able to sit upon the throne, but Egypt was fighting a losing war. Akhenaden was the kingdom's only hope.
...
Kul Elna, Ancient Egypt
A few days had passed, and once again the sun was setting. Kul Elna always did darken faster than most villages due to it being located in a valley.
For these past few days, Nara did not leave his family. He wanted to see more of his wife and son, though he did not intend to give up his thieving life just yet. He knew that deep down Kanchani felt the same; perhaps one day the pair would raid tombs as partners once again.
Bakura was currently sleeping while his parents were preparing to go to bed. Nara had taken off his rags, remaining only in a beige kilt to sleep in, but Kanchani was staring out of the window thoughtfully. The man smiled and walked up behind her, resting his head on her shoulder as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "Come on, my treasure, let's get to bed," he said to her.
"Now?" Kanchani responded. "The sun hasn't even set completely." The woman then smirked. "Are you getting too old to stay up late, Nara?"
"Me? Old?" Nara gasped, taking a step back as he stood with a wide mouth. "I will never be old, Kanchi!"
"Keep telling yourself that," Kanchani chuckled, turning around and wrapping her arms around his neck, playing with his silver hair thoughtfully. Nara huffed but couldn't bring himself to be mad at the woman, so instead he nuzzled her nose playfully.
"So... bed?" the thief asked with a cheeky smile. Kanchani rolled her eyes but giggled.
"Alright, since you keep asking," she answered. She turned to the bed, only to have Nara push her down onto it. He stood and laughed as she grabbed a pillow and threw it at him. "You rascal!" she laughed.
"Thanks for the pillow," Nara retorted, flopping onto his back as he held the pillow close. "Now I have two." Kanchani then snuggled close to him, smiling.
"I have something you don't," she reminded him. Nara raised his eyebrow.
"Oh?" he asked her. Kanchani chuckled and poked his nose.
"You," she revealed. Nara threw the pillow aside and pulled his wife close.
"And I have you, Kanchi," he countered.
"Sleep well, my thief," Kanchani last said before closing her eyes. Nara gave her a loving peck on the forehead.
"Sweet dreams, treasure," he replied before his own eyes closed. Sleep was quick to consume them both.
But they did not sleep for the whole night.
Kanchani awoke upon hearing the sound of screaming, and Nara was quick to join her in her sudden state of worry.
"What's going on?" Nara asked his wife as she approached the window.
"Oh my goodness," Kanchani gasped. "Nara, there are men attacking the villagers! The foreigners have invaded!"
Nara stood by her side to look at the chaos. People were being slaughtered and herded like cattle - men, women and even children. "Those aren't foreigners," he corrected, marching to a rack which had a beige shenti upon it. He wrapped the robe around himself, grabbing one of his many daggers. "That's the Pharaoh's army."
"What?!" Kanchani exclaimed.
"Get Bakura," Nara commanded, managing to remain somewhat calm on the exterior.
"Nara, what's going on?!" Kanchani questioned. "Why are they killing everybody?! They're killing the children!"
"I don't know, just go and get Bakura!" Nara barked suddenly. Kanchani hurried out of their room and rushed into Bakura's, immediately taking him from his bed. The boy had been asleep, but he tiredly awoke from his slumber.
"Mama...?" he asked, rubbing his eyes. "What's that noise...?"
"Come on, son," Kanchani tried to say calmly, carrying the child in her arms. "We have to go."
"Go?" Bakura yawned. Kanchani carried him out of his room, only to see that one of the guards was in her house with a demented grin on his face as he brandished his blood-covered spear. Kanchani let out a terrified scream as she stepped backwards, keeping her eyes on the guard, only to find that she had backed up against the wall. Her immediate instinct was to shield Bakura with her body, but as the guard stepped closer she suddenly watched as Nara jumped out and tackled the man to the ground, thrusting his dagger into his chest repeatedly. He had a savage expression on his face - one any father and husband would have if their loved ones were in danger.
"Go!" the thief hollered. "Get outta here, Kanchani!"
"W-What about you?!" Kanchani reacted, panicking. Nara pushed himself back up to his feet, blood now on his shenti and dagger.
"I'll hold them off so you can get away!" the thief answered. "Just get away from here and I'll catch up when I can!"
Kanchani stared at her husband with wide eyes, almost knowing that Nara wouldn't be able to catch up to her and Bakura, but she also knew that she couldn't convince him to flee with her without fighting. By doing that she would only put herself and her son in more danger, so she nodded her head and ran through her home's exit. Almost immediately one of the guards tried to attack her, but Nara was right behind her. He jumped forward and slashed the guard down his chest, looking back at his wife.
"Run!" he shouted. Kanchani stared at him one last time before sprinting as fast as she could, with Bakura looking over her shoulder. For a moment he was watching with childish wonder, amazed that he could finally watch his father fighting before his very eyes, but the sight was not what he imagined. There was so much blood.
Nara ran after Kanchani to make sure nobody went near her, pushing back and cutting down any guards who even looked at her. He fell further and further behind as more guards came their way, most likely because there were less targets for them to go after now that many villagers had fallen. One guard was able to grab Nara from behind, throwing him down to the ground. The thief used both of his feet to kick this guard in the stomach, pushing him back as he jumped up to his feet. But now there were other guards attempting to tackle him, and with him being outnumbered it was difficult to put up a fight.
Instead of fighting, Nara chose to push past the guards to catch up to Kanchani. This slaughter was never going to end until every last villager was dead. He just knew it. They were targeting everyone they saw. Nara couldn't bear the thought of his son being murdered heartlessly, and imagining Kanchani's screams of agony pushed him over the edge. He had to stay close to them so that they were safe.
Something cold suddenly sliced down his back, which Nara immediately realised was a sword. It had cut deep into his flesh, causing him to cry out in pain. However, he was not close to giving up. He continued to run after Kanchani, seeing his young son staring with wide eyes filled with horror. He couldn't let his family down.
But one guard kicked his bleeding back, shoving him to the ground so that he fell before the feet of another guard who simply laughed and grinned down at him. Nara scowled hatefully, his body shaking from the pain as he lifted his head.
"Why...?" he asked the guard angrily. "Why are you doing this...?!"
"Vile thief..." the guard spat viciously. "This is your punishment for grave robbing! Your flesh will become part of a treasure you curs would die to steal... too bad there won't be any of you left to steal the gold!"
Nara clenched his teeth together, grabbing the guard's ankles and dragging him to the ground. He raised his dagger to drive it into the man's heart, but before he could do that he suddenly felt a hard and cold sensation in his back and chest, with some thick damp liquid dripping down his body. He glanced downwards, only to see that the head of a spear, now coated with shining red blood, protruded from his flesh. The guard who had kicked him down had impaled him.
There was no way to survive this. He lifted his quivering hand to touch the tip of the spear, then slowly lifting his head to look ahead into the distance.
"Papa!" Bakura cried out, trying to reach for his father. Kanchani stopped and turned around when hearing her son's cry, only to feel sick at the sight she saw. Nara was on the ground, still processing what had just happened to him. He could only stare at his wife and son, knowing that he had failed them, only to flop onto his front lifelessly as soon as the spear was yanked out of him.
Kanchani let out a shriek of both grief and rage. She continued to run with Bakura in her arms, but she was not just going to leave. She managed to run somewhere quiet, opening a barrel of grain which was beside someone's hut. The raven-haired woman placed Bakura into the barrel, tears forming in her eyes.
"Wait here," she instructed him. "Wait until it's very quiet, okay? Come out when it's safe. It will be soon."
"Mama...?" Bakura asked before Kanchani put a finger to his lips, her tears now rolling down her cheeks.
"Hush," she cooed, her voice wavering as she tried to smile. "Mama loves you, Bakura. Papa loves you. We both love you very much."
Bakura grabbed her hand. "Don't go," he whimpered. "I'm scared."
"Shh," Kanchani whispered. "I know, son, I know... But you have to stay here. Do as you're told."
Reluctantly, Bakura nodded his head. He sniffled softly, wiping away his tears with his hands. Kanchani held his cheeks and planted a kiss on his forehead before ruffling his hair.
"Be very quiet, Bakura," the woman commanded. "Don't make a sound no matter what. There are bad men here who will try to hurt you. Just wait until everybody is gone."
Kanchani put the top of the barrel back in place before running back towards the slaughter. Controlled by her rage, she grabbed one guard by his spear and snatched it from his grasp, using it to fatally slash his front and then impale another guard who tried to stop her. She briefly clashed her spear against another spear wielded by one more guard, but she was quick to thrust the spear into his stomach. Then her eyes found him. The man who she watched kill Nara. She locked eyes with him as he finished cutting down another villager, then she ran straight for him. They clashed spears for a good while, but the guard managed to strike her shoulder. Kanchani grimaced but spent no time focusing on the pain. She wanted to bring this man down, which is exactly what she was going to do. She barged the guard to the ground, straddling his hips as she ruthlessly brought the spear into his chest, twisting it to make his death much more painful.
"This is for Nara!" she wailed, her flaming eyes locking with the guard's glazing ones. "You murderer!"
Another guard grabbed her by her arms, forcing her off the man she had just killed. She continued to scream and kick her legs, thrashing in his arms.
"Murderers!" she howled. "You will all pay for this! This slaughter will not end in our blood!"
"Shut this harridan up," growled the guard who was restraining her. He pulled her hair back to expose her neck to another guard who raised his sword.
Bakura had to cover his own mouth as he listened to the dying screams of the villagers. He heard men laughing as metal cut through flesh. Bodies fell into the sand. Children sobbed and cried for their parents. Parents sobbed and cried for their children. It was like the slaughter would never end.
Gradually everything came to a stop. Nobody was screaming. Nobody was crying. Nobody was laughing as they cut down the villagers of Kul Elna. Bakura waited for a few moments longer before carefully lifting the lid of the barrel, scanning the environment around him. Blood still stained the sand, but no bodies could be found. He could only see trails of blood. Had the wounded villagers crawled to safety?
Bakura managed to climb out of the barrel, trembling as he followed the red path. They led to some stairs in the heart of the village, these stairs being the entrance to a shrine not even the Kul Elna villagers were aware of. Bakura slowly walked down the steps, hearing the sound of voices. Could that be the villagers? Could his mother and father be down here?
As he grew closer to the sound, he decided to peep his head around the corner of the dimly-lit room.
What he saw would be burned into his mind forever.
Everyone was dead, and their bodies were being dropped into a pot of molten gold.
The gold was then poured into the shrine, creating some strange-looking objects. Bakura didn't understand what the men were talking about, so instead could only stare at the golden items.
His parents were in those items.
His friends were in those items.
Everyone from his village was in those items, and he was the only one who was still alive.
Would they turn him to gold if they found him? Bakura didn't want to find out. These men were evil. They were monsters. He had to get away. All he could do was run back to his house, diving into the bed his parents once shared. It was still a little warm from where they had been sleeping in it.
Bakura positioned the two pillows on either side of him, snuggling up against one of them and wrapping his arms around it. He began to sniffle and whimper, weeping into the pillow as he imagined cuddling his father.
"Papa..." he sniffed. "Mama..."
He spent the rest of the night crying into the pillow, never letting the image of the slaughter leave his mind.
~End of Chapter~