A weary and harried young woman from one of the wolf tribes made her way into the courtroom of the king. Everyone went silent as they realized she was pregnant, but few of them noticed the three-year-old following behind her.
Everyone in the room gasped as the woman removed the hood of her cloak. She was the daughter of one of the Wolf Lords; one that had disappeared four years ago under mysterious circumstances. The King rose to his feet and descended from his throne to meet the young woman as she made her way up the center aisle.
"Young Ms. Kawai, I had not expected to see you here tonight." The King was a master at understatements. It was quite apparent that no one had expected the young woman there; everyone had thought her dead years ago.
The young woman fell to her knees, the King reaching her just in time to catch her. She looked up at him tears gathering in his eyes. The room was so quiet that even the young woman's soft voice carried. "Asylum."
The king knit his eyebrows together and looked towards the chief of his guard. The man made a signal and guards moved towards the entrances of the room; preparing for the worst. "Ms. Kawai, why would you need asylum? Your father and his tribe have long been our allies."
The woman drew a deep breath, preparing for the words that were to follow. "I no longer belong to my father's house." She choked back a sob, and restrained the tears that threatened to pour down her face.
"Dear Lady, what has happened to you these past years? My records have not been amended to notate your marriage into another Lord's house."
"There was not marriage, but I do not belong to his house all the same. One of Dragon Lord Kaiba's sentinels took me for his mate. I finally had a chance to escape." The young woman reliving the horrors of the past four years finally broke and began to cry. The king, who had at one time courted the young woman gathered her to him to comfort her.
Finally, the child who had quietly stood back this entire time could do so no longer. He came rushing forward the sight of his mother's tears. "Mama. Mama, don't cry. Mama." The king's head shot up as he finally took notice of the child. He knew immediately which of the sentinels had taken the young woman; the child looked exactly like one of Gozaburo's minions. The only thing that the child had from his mother were his eyes.
The young woman pulled herself together and looked at the boy. "Jounouchi. Jounouchi, my little one, don't worry. This one is the King of our land, and he is my friend. He's the one I told you about when we ran away."
The child withdrew and scrutinized the man before him; holding his gaze and trying his best to be intimidating. Jounouchi must have seen something that reassured him about the King because he lowered his eyes and stepped into his mother's embrace.
With her child reassured she turned to the King. "Aknamkanon my son is dragon born, in all manners; and you know that they will chase me for him. He has a gentle heart. For the love you once bore me, please take him. Protect him in my place."
The King stared at the young woman before him. Why would she ask this of him and not her father? Surely the wolves would be more than welcoming to a dragon born of their blood. "Why have you not asked your father's house, this request?"
She dropped her head. "My father rules in name only. My brother, the son of his second wife, will soon be in power. I will not leave my son in his care." That would explain it. The children of the current Lady of the Wolf Clan were all self-serving, and a boy child would only be seen as competition for the title that they all coveted.
"What of you?" The woman smiled. "I do not believe that I will live past this birth, but the child I will bear is a girl. A wolf born girl." The King bowed his head in thought. If he agreed to take them in, he would have two children aside from his own son to care for; to pit himself against a Dragon Lord of unmistakable power for. But the women before him had once been the holder of his heart; he could not, and would not leave her children to suffer.
"This is my decree. I offer you Asylum as the daughter of my great ally and friend. I will care for and protect your son. As for you, you will stay here for the duration of your pregnancy. If you do not live past it, I will find a noble family of wolves to foster her; one strong and willing enough to resist your half siblings should they want her. If you live past this pregnancy, I will renew my courtship of you; this will ensure the safety of you and yours entirely."
With that the King rose, bringing the young woman with him. He summoned a young woman from his court to take her and see to her comfort. He summoned his own son's caretaker to care for the boy, and for that night all was done.
In the coming months, the Jounouchi proved to be a bright, happy, and overall charming child. He was competitive enough to keep the young prince entertained but gentle and friendly enough that he never frightened the caretaker's grandson; of whom the prince was fiercely protective.
Then the day of childbirth came and the young woman's predictions came true. She did not make it through the delivery and the King grieved at the loss of his youth's love. Shortly after Jounouchi's father came to claim him, and when that failed he stole him away in the dead of the night.
He spent three years trapped with his father, before the King's negotiations to have him returned were set in place. By the time, he had been returned to the palace his sister had been fostered with a noble family of wolves and Jounouchi looked like a feral wolf pup. Everyone in the palace attempted to draw the boy form his fearful guard, but in the end, it was the caretaker's shy and quiet grandson, Yugi, who succeeded. After that they were never far apart from each other, and the Prince lessened his almost obsessive protectiveness over the younger boy.
One year later, the Dragon Lord Gozaburo Kaiba incited a rebellion. It was squelched, but left the King dying of mortal wounds. The royal guard captured the Dragon Lord himself in the battle and held him for three years to keep any further attempts for the throne from happening.
On the Prince's twelfth birthday his coronation was held, and the boy began planning for the official response to his father's murder. Within the next week, he issued a summons for Gozaburo's eldest son to appear before the throne.
When the boy, the same age as the new King himself, appeared before the courts, the charges against his father were laid out before him. The young Kaiba met the charges with an icy gaze.
"Your Majesty." All the movement in the room ceased as the boy began to speak.
"Your Majesty, I agree entirely in each charge laid against my so-called father. I also agree with your assessment for the appropriate punishment. The only change I would like to make with your decision is that I am the one to carry it out."
The young King inclined his head towards his counterpart. "And why would we allow this. You are barley more than twelve years. Not only would he kill you but we would be without a Dragon Lord for your territory and be forced to find another for it."
His response was a sardonic smirk. "Your Majesty, I have been a Dragon Lord in my own right since I was nine years. Aside from that fact, the only way for me to fill the role that would be necessary for you is to overthrow the previous Dragon Lord, my 'father', myself."
The new King assessed the self-professed Dragon Lord before him. "And what assurances can you give me that this is a good idea." His only response for a small time was that same smirk.
"Aside from my assurances, I am more than willing to give a demonstration." The young Kaiba watched as an older man came forward to whisper in the King's ear. The King shook his head, and it appeared to all that he did not agree with his council's advice.
"My advisors tell me that this is not a wise decision. That you seek only retribution for how your 'father' treated you." As he spoke the word 'father', the King inclined his head towards the boy in front of him as a recognition of his dislike for the term.
"My instincts however tell me differently. You will give us a private demonstration after the evening meal. After that we will enter into negotiations to determine whether this will be allowed or not." With that the new King rose and left his court. That night the young Kaiba gave his demonstration, and with the negotiations that followed he was given the right to challenge his 'father'.
The succession of Dragon Lords has always been a public affair, but typically the successor is trained by his predecessor and the fight is non-lethal. This one however was an execution. A successful one. Kaiba returned home a fully-fledged Dragon Lord, the master of his territory, a hero to most, and enemy to the few who loved his father and his reign of tyranny.
In the years to follow several changes were made. The new King, Yami, reigned with a firm but fair hand, and for the most part the people loved him. After Jounouchi's uncles gained control over the Wolf Clan, it was no longer viewed as a Power or an ally to the Throne.
Kaiba led what was for all purposes a culling of his forces. He put in place rules for those that were Dragon Born, and killed those that would not toe the line. After that he quickly took over the other Dragon Lords' territories and brought them under the reign of his new laws. Under his leadership, the Dragon clans unified and rose from being the unruly subjects of the crown to their most valuable allies.
It was decided that Yugi would be Yami's consort once he came of age, and the council began grooming him for the position.
Jounouchi studied with Yugi and the palace guards; learning everything that a nobleman and a warrior could ever need to know.
It wasn't until Jounouchi and Yugi were sixteen years of age that an announcement that was startling to both was made. One that so enraged Jounouchi that he ran from the palace, leaving the only loving home he had ever known behind.
