Disclaimer: I'm only going to write this once, so pay attention. I. Don't own. Yu-Gi-Oh! And I never will. I also don't own the fairytale this fic is based on, although fairytale retellings are published so often that I doubt anybody really cares about that.

Author's Note: This fic is based on a favourite fairytale of mine, "The Wild Swans" by Hans Christian Anderson, with a cast of Yu-Gi-Oh characters and certain elements from the series. It must be understood from the outset that some of your favourite characters will be OOC. Given that this is an AU fic, and they have for the most part been raised under completely different circumstances from their canon counterparts, it should be expected. Please refrain, therefore, from sending me a review saying so-and-so would NEVER do that, or that such-and-such a detail was incorrect. I am entitled to creative license, and I would never send such a review to another on those grounds.

That said, I sincerely hope you enjoy the story! Or the first chapter, anyway.

Prologue

Long ago, in the kingdom of Domino, there lived a noble king and a radiant queen, who had eleven sons and one daughter. The king's name was Solomon, and in truth, he was only king of Domino by marriage. His wife, Queen Coraline, was the only child of the last Dominovian king, and as such, she had been the first woman to inherit the crown in more than two-hundred years. This is not, however, the story of Solomon and Coraline, though they do play their parts. This is the story of their children, and as such, it would be best to learn a little about all twelve of them before we begin.

The eleven brothers were diverse, so much so, in fact, that unless they had been warned in advance, anyone who saw them together would have trouble believing they were all born of the same union. At the time their story began in earnest, Raphael was a tall, well-muscled youth of sixteen, with blonde hair and blue eyes, a true handsome prince, if a slightly intimidating one. He might appear potentially dangerous to some, but he possessed a gentle temperament, though he could assert his authority effectively over his younger siblings if the need arose. They all respected him enough to listen to him if he became firm with them in their parents' absence. Coraline and Solomon were both proud of their eldest son, and saw in him the image of a strong and wise future-king. Like some of his brothers, Raphael enjoyed playing the intricate card game known as Duel Monsters, though he was of the opinion it would be more fun if the creatures depicted on the cards were real. His favourite monster-cards were the Guardians, and of them all, he was fondest of Guardian Eatos, a fair-haired woman with golden eyes and white wings who wore an eagle headdress. It was primarily this card that inspired his father to have a special pendant fashioned for him as a gift for his eleventh birthday. The pendant was of silver, cast in the form of an eagle with topaz stones for eyes, which hung from a chain of white-gold links. Raphael had not removed the chain from his neck since it was given to him. Upon seeing their brother wearing the pendant, the younger princes began pleading with their father to have special pendants made for them as well, to which Solomon had consented after a fashion, not wanting his children to become envious and spiteful toward Raphael over such a trifle.

Prince Duke was a year younger than Raphael, and could not have looked more different. Dark-haired, with his mother's emerald eyes, he was slightly more easy-going than his elder brother, though he was still mature beyond his years. He loved games, like all of his siblings, but his particular fascination was with dice rather than cards. If a game involved dice, Duke played it, and nearly always won. The pendant crafted for him, therefore, consisted of two silver dice, each about the size of a medium plum, attached to a chain of the same metal.

The third prince was Alister, a red-haired boy of fourteen with slate-grey eyes and a sober demeanour. He was more often found in the palace library, reading, than playing a game with his siblings, and when he did play, he preferred chess to Duel Monsters. He and the next brother, Seto, were both excellent chess-players, though the latter was less enthusiastic. Alister also played the harp, a practice he had taken up at the age of eight, and his music gave him almost as much pleasure as reading. His pendant was the first of several that had come as a surprise to their recipients, for their father seemed to have plucked the design out of the air. It might have been unusual, but Alister was nonetheless pleased with the piece. It consisted of a plume of fire fashioned from yellow-gold lined by diamonds, with a lustrous medium-sized sapphire set into it. The tiny image of a child had been expertly etched into the underside of the sapphire, and translucent wings of shimmering opal extended from the sides of the piece. It was a beautiful, precious thing, and Alister felt it suited him, though he could never explain the reason.

Seto was a year and a half younger than Alister, a blue-eyed brunette with a quick mind and a sharp tongue. Of all the princes, he was the most aloof, and had been since he had entered adolescence. Only the youngest of his brothers, Mokuba, could break through his guard. As previously mentioned, he was an excellent chess-player, but Duel Monsters was his true passion. His favourite card was the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, of which he had no fewer than three copies. Being a prince definitely had its benefits. Due to his love of this card, the pendant made for him comprised an image of the beast cast in platinum, with sapphires for its eyes. Even Seto could not fault the craftsmanship of the pendant.

Next in line was Ryou, a gentle boy of eleven with soft brown eyes and white hair. Aside from his own exemplary dueling skills, he was a highly talented wood-carver. His brothers would often find him sitting quietly on a bench in the palace grounds, whittling patiently, or else polishing or painting a completed carving. His carvings were numerous and exquisitely detailed, ranging from animals to people to three-dimensional effigies of the images on both his own and his brothers' Duel Monster cards. He rarely carved images of his own monsters, however, for despite his gentle nature, his deck was full of cards that would send chills through most if they saw them. Ryou's pendant had been modeled after one Solomon had seen during one of his frequent diplomatic journeys. It comprised a gold ring more than a handspan across, with smaller pendants attached to its sides. A triangle of hammered gold had been fixed to the ring by its points, and in the centre of the triangle, a bright milk-opal had been set. The original, so Solomon had informed his son, had had the image of an eye engraved on the central triangle, but that had been impossible to replicate, however hard the engraver had tried, and at length the king had given up and replaced it with a gem he believed matched his son's gentle, yet brilliant, spirit.

The sixth brother was Prince Joseph, though he insisted everyone, even the servants, address him as Joey when formality was not required. Joey was ten, with his mother's golden-blonde hair, and warm brown eyes. He and the next brother, Valon, were the most mischievous of the princes, fond of pulling pranks on their elder brothers, especially Alister and Seto. Joey was also a fair duelist, and promised to break Seto's winning streak in two or three years, with practice. Joey's pendant had been fashioned in the likeness of his favourite card, which was the exact opposite of Seto's: the Red-Eyes Black Dragon. The beast had been carved from a single large piece of obsidian, the rubies that represented its eyes fixed in their places by settings of rose-gold.

Valon, Joey's partner in crime, was a lively boy of nine with bright cerulean-blue eyes and unruly brown hair which stuck up in fluffy spikes in spite of all the servants had ever done to it. His enthusiasm for serious gaming was nowhere near the level exhibited by many of his brothers. Valon, as the seventh son, knew he would not have a high rank in the kingdom, even at his tender age. He had, therefore, set his heart on becoming a knight. One of the younger squires had begun training him in unarmed combat. He could not begin weapons training until he was eleven, but this did nothing to deter him from his ambition. Valon's pendant was another unexplained piece, and like Alister's, it bore the semblance of fire. In this case, a ruby nestled in a setting of rose-gold in the shape of a fireball, the framework lined by yellow topaz. This had been fixed to a simple, yet highly polished, wooden cross attached to a fine gold chain. Valon could no more explain his attachment to the piece than his father could explain how the design had come to him.

Next came the twins, Yami and Yugi, who were eight years old and as close as any twins can be. Valon's hair might be wild, but at least it was a sensible colour. Not only was the hair of both twins even spikier than that of their elder brother, but it was tricoloured, dark-red on the outside, black in the centre, with golden bangs. They both had violet eyes, though Yami's were sharper than his twin's. Yami was also somewhat more solemn than Yugi. Other than that, however, there was little to choose between them. So close were they that they shared a dueling deck. Both were excellent duelists, and even at their tender age, Seto was hard-pressed to remain undefeated. The pendants they wore, however, had nothing whatsoever to do with their cards. In essence they were one, a single square pyramid of solid gold made in two halves that fit together. The name of each half's owner was marked out on one of its outer faces in amethyst chips, so that when the twins joined them, as they often did, the names were on opposite sides of the resulting pyramid. Each half had its own chain.

Noa was the youngest brother but one, having seven summers to his name. He possessed the same cobalt-blue eyes as his brother Seto, and wore his two-toned aquamarine hair in the same style. His eldest brothers sometimes envied him his place in line, for as the tenth son, Noa was free to be a child, free of the strict schedule the elder princes had to follow. He played with the children of nobles and servants alike, and he made many friends. He and Mokuba had a strong bond, though not quite as close as the one the latter shared with Seto. Noa's pendant was the last unexpected piece, and no less pleasing to the eye than the others had been. It was of silver, a miniature masterpiece of the jewelers' art, its framework an intricate, honeycomb-like design. The uneven surface glittered in any light, and certain cunningly positioned facets reflected the rays toward the emerald set in the heart of the pendant. The glittering marvel drew the eyes, and many a noble admired its creator's skill, asking Solomon the identity of the clever jeweler in question on numerous occasions.

The last prince of all was six-year-old Mokuba, raven-haired with gentle blue-grey eyes and a trusting nature. Though he was closest to Seto, Noa and surprisingly, Alister, each of his siblings had their place in his heart. He especially enjoyed having one of his elder brothers read to him. When it came to storytelling, Alister was a master, and the child would sometimes sit and listen, enthralled, for hours on end. Mokuba's pendant was, in its way, a symbol of his bond with Seto, for it had the form of two Blue-Eyes White Dragons, one the same size as Seto's own, the other noticeably smaller, made of the same materials as Seto's pendant, save for the blue topaz that lined their outspread wings.

Their little sister, Serenity, was two months shy of her fifth birthday, a pretty child with long, flowing auburn hair and sparkling grey-green eyes. She was as sweet and loving a girl as any mother could wish to have, and all who lived in the palace adored her. As the only daughter of the monarchs of Domino, she was spoiled outrageously, though the profusion of material gifts did nothing to mar her generous spirit. What she could not share with her brothers, she shared with the young daughters of the servants and soldiers, and like Noa, had many friends among the low-born children. Serenity had yet to receive her pendant, though the Lord Chancellor, Roland, had let slip that it had been made, and now waited in a secure place for its future-owner's birthday, at which time it would be bestowed as one of her gifts.

This was how things stood for the twelve near Summer's-End of the seventeenth year of their parents' reign. In years to come, they would look back on this time as the last truly peaceful season before a series of shocking events began to unfold, events which would change their lives in ways none of them could have anticipated.

End Notes: The OC queen in this story is dedicated to my friend Kohaku no Hime, whose contributions to this fic are much appreciated. The ideas for some of the pendants described above are accredited to her. Don't disregard anything in the above prologue. It is all important. You needed to know the roles these characters would play in this fic, and you needed to know about the pendants. All will become clearer in future chapters. Until next time, I wish you joy in all you do.