This story is another from the 'Treasure' universe, and focuses on King Gordon's (Ryou's 'father') reaction to his son going missing. It's a little OC heavy, but I hope my next news will make up for it. The 'Treasure' universe has really grown on me, and I finally decided to really get focused on expanding it, and I have a sequel to 'Treasure' planned out. It will be multi-chaptered, and pick up Ryou and Bakura's story where 'Treasure' left off. I also have other spin-off stories planned that will focus on some of the other Yu-Gi-Oh characters and how they fit into the universe.
I can't say when I'll start posting them, as end of the year exams are coming up and I don't have much time for writing, but I'll work on it when I can. Keep an eye out, and for now, please enjoy!
As a child, Gordon had enjoyed being the prince. His father, King William, was a wise and beloved ruler, and Gordon had looked up to him from the moment he was able to understand what the title 'King' meant.
As soon as he was able to toddle, he'd follow his father around every day to watch him work, whether he was in a meeting about the economy or greeting the citizens. And the more Gordon watched, the more he knew that he wanted to become the perfect king, like his father. He spent most of his childhood studying: history, mathematics, economics, riding, fencing, anything that would make him a better ruler. And he was happy.
Except for one thing.
Gordon had never cared for his mother. Queen Anri had been a princess from a neighboring country, and betrothed to his father since birth. However, the Queen was harsh and spiteful towards the king, and spent as little time with Gordon and his father as she could. Gordon, with such a deep love and admiration for his father, hated that she was so horrible to him.
As he got older, he grew more and more confused by their actions. Every time his mother snubbed his father, a sad, bittersweet smile would cross his face and he'd be distracted for the rest of the day. And he would occasionally see his mother sitting in the garden, staring at the flowers and sighing pensively. He didn't understand the reason for this until he was sixteen.
He'd overheard some of the servants explaining it to a newly-hired maid. It seemed that, despite the fact that the king and queen had been betrothed, they hadn't seen each other much throughout their childhood. Prince William only ever spoke with Princess Anri at political occasions or balls hosted by their respective countries, but he easily fell in love with her quiet charm and delicate beauty.
However, the same could not be said for her. She had never cared for the events that she was forced to go to, and the fact that she saw him there didn't alter her opinion; she found him to be brash and overconfident.
Anri loved quiet activities, and one of her favorite pastimes was walking through the extensive gardens of her castle. She loved sitting amongst the beautiful flowers, so lovingly tended by the palace gardeners. And none took better care of them than one of the garden workers, a boy named Ren.
He had been so surprised the first time he'd seen her ambling through the gardens, and had no idea how to address her. Face burning, he'd stuttered awkwardly as he tried to think of an appropriate greeting, and Anri couldn't have helped but giggle.
Eventually, he got used to her status, and was able to put it out of his mind at her request. They met in the garden every afternoon to talk about flowers and anything else that crossed their minds. As Anri spent more time with him, she grew to like him more and more.
Ren was sweet and fun; he would pick a bouquet of flowers to present to her every day, which she would blushingly accept with a smile. He taught her how to make flower garlands and how to tell when a bud was about to bloom. And he would listen to anything she had to say without judging her.
When she was fourteen, after years of knowing what she wanted but being too afraid to say anything, she accepted the bundle of roses with a kiss. And when Ren grinned, tucked one of the roses into her hair, and kissed her back, Anri felt like she knew what true happiness was.
However, Anri was still betrothed. Two years later, her father decided it was time for her to get married. Despite her pleas to reconsider, he made plans to send her to Arakel to be wed. In a desperate attempt to avoid the marriage, she and Ren had attempted to flee the castle. To her dismay, they were discovered and her father was furious. Ren was relieved of his duties, and Anri was sent immediately to Arakel. The wedding took place within days.
Prince William, now crowned King, was delighted that he'd been able to marry the girl of his dreams. However, Anri could never forget the love she'd found in Ren, and bitterly resented William, who had refused to break off the marriage despite the fact that she didn't want it. William hoped that Anri could eventually come to love him, but even after Gordon was born, Anri's heart still longed for her childhood love, and William accepted that his marriage would be a loveless one.
After hearing that story, Gordon realized that his father wasn't the perfect king after all. He saw how being ignored by the Queen distracted his father from his duties, and vowed that he would never make the same mistake. He refused to take a Queen, whether or not she would love him. He had no need for such drama that would hold him back from his role as king.
And he was going to be the perfect king.
.
It was almost midday when King Gordon opened his eyes with a groan. He had a raging headache, and his entire body felt heavy. Something didn't feel right about that… It was almost as if he'd been drugged.
His eyes flew open and he sat up in bed, scanning his room frantically. Everything was still there. He let out a sigh of relief. It was just his imagination, then, a side effect of sleeping in. Thus reassured, he went about his day as usual.
It wasn't until he ordered the guards to call his son down to the dining hall for dinner and he didn't appear that Gordon noticed something was off. The guards, who usually passed the message and then went back to their posts, returned instead.
"Where is he? Don't tell me he's refusing to come eat again," Gordon sighed wearily, but raised an eyebrow when the pair of guards exchanged a silent glance. Finally, one of them (Joey Wheeler, age eighteen, lived in the same small town his whole life, has a sister who works in the castle as a maid, Gordon recalled idly from his credentials) spoke up.
"He… wasn't there, Your Majesty," Joey spoke hesitantly. Gordon blinked.
"What do you mean?" He spoke quietly, but with an air of anger that caused Joey to flinch almost imperceptibly before replying.
"We went to the entrance to your wing, Your Majesty, but when we spoke through the door as usual there was no reply. We looked through the panel that is used to pass on written messages, but we didn't see anyone."
Gordon's eyes narrowed. Something didn't feel right. Ryou was prone to wandering off on his own during the day time, but he was always back in time for dinner and his lessons in the evenings. It wasn't like him to disappear, even if he was still sulking.
"Go to the rooms of my Chief Advisor and tell Seto to come here at once. Then gather a dozen guards and search for my son around the grounds," Gordon ordered, not wishing to take any chances with his heir. The guards stood still, looking rather at a loss, and it took a moment to remember that none of the guards knew what his son looked like. He'd made sure of that. "Ah, yes. His hair is long and white; he's of average height, and slender for a boy."
Joey's calm, respectful mask twitched in surprise for a moment at the description of the prince, but was quickly back in place. With twin bows, he and the other guard headed for the door. Gordon settled back into his chair, and as soon as the large doors clanged shut a voice whispered in his ear.
"They won't find him, you know."
Gordon jumped and whirled around. His eyes widened as he found himself face to face with a woman. Her short, dark hair framed icy blue eyes and a face that was inhumanly beautiful. The sleeves of her blue gown had black dragons stitched delicately over the cloth, meeting at her shoulder blades. It was one of the witches who had given him his heir so many years ago.
"You- you're…" he stuttered in shock as the witch stood before him.
"Yes, I am the Grand Witch Téa, leader of the clan with which you formed a contract." She glanced around the room, eyes taking in the lack of decoration with a displeased air, though her face remained impassive. Her hair flared as she suddenly turned to face him, and Gordon gulped. "It seems you allowed the price to control your actions in the end."
Gordon flinched, then steeled his resolve with a deep breath. He refused to be intimidated in his own castle, not even by a witch.
"What are you doing here, madam?" He was pleased to note that his voice wasn't shaking. Téa met his gaze steadily with her emotionless stare.
"The contract you formed was a test. We saw that you were moving down the wrong path, and we gave you the child in hopes that you would learn the lesson we were offering. However, you have failed that test, and now the contract is complete. Your greatest treasure is lost to you now."
Gordon's eyes widened, and he whirled his gaze frantically around the room. "W-what do you mean? What's missing? What lesson?"
"You sought to be the perfect king, but you did not understand what that meant," Téa's voice was filled with disappointment, though her countenance was still all but blank. "You said that you wished to avoid distractions by refusing a wife, but you were only trying to selfishly protect yourself from the pain you saw your parents experience."
Gordon flinched and he took an unconscious step back. He shook his head in wordless denial, but Téa continued to speak.
"You attempted to justify your actions by saying it was for your subjects, but by withholding an heir, you were only hurting them. You never understood that the perfect king is not one with no distractions; the perfect king is one that will make any sacrifice for the good of his people!
"Ryou is the treasure we gave to you. We had hoped that through him you would learn, but you were past help. It was not his fault that he was unable to save you. He is now free to find his own happiness, while your folly will cost you yours."
She sighed, and for the first time she allowed emotion to paint her features. When she spoke, it was with regret.
"I apologize that we were unable to keep you from this path."
As she turned away, Gordon suddenly stumbled forward.
"W- wait!" he cried. Téa stopped, but did not turn around. "There has to be something, anything I can do, right? There must be some way to stop this!"
Moments passed, and, while she didn't move, Téa slumped, as if the weight of the world had just settled on her shoulders. "You took your chance, and were unable to do what was right."
"No! Please, can't you do anything?" Gordon pleaded desperately. Téa continued towards the center of the room.
"I have done all I can," she turned to face him, and for a moment her eyes seemed to pierce his soul with regret. "I'm sorry," there was a flash of light and she disappeared. In the same moment, the doors burst open, and his Chief Advisor strode into the room.
"What news do you have, Seto?" Gordon asked, though he already knew what would be said. Seto bowed his head.
"We have searched the castle and the grounds, Your Majesty. There is no sign of the prince."
Gordon clenched his fists against the table, staring blankly at the space where Téa had disappeared. This couldn't be the end. He wouldn't let it be the end.
"My son has been kidnapped," he straightened up and turned. Seto flinched minutely at the rage in his expression. "Gather the troops. We must find him. At any cost, we will find him!"
Making Téa the witch was a bit of a last minute decision, but I actually really like it. She's the type to want to help people find the best in themselves, and even if she seems a little cold in this, she's actually really upset that she wasn't able to keep Gordon from succumbing to his own fears. Plus, I like her character, even if 4kids really messed her up, so I'm glad I could give her such an important role.