Here's where the story really begins. Hope you enjoy it!
Warnings: FemRyou (You've been warned, don't complain.)
Completion
Chapter One: To Sign or Not to Sign
Ryou sat on her outdoor cushioned lounge couch, lithe legs tucked under her, arms resting on the balcony's railing. She sighed as a cool breeze swept by and laid her head on her folded hands, watching as the sun slowly sank into the river.
She didn't look up as her brother and king, Bakura sat down next to her. They were silent for a moment, taking comfort in each other's presence. Before their mother and little sister had died of plague the two barely knew the other existed, but they had found one another in the chaos leftover from the sickness. They were overlooked by their grieving father and court officials. By the time anyone thought to look for them they had become almost inseparable. The king usually came to Ryou's chambers after court had been dismissed for the day, venting about anything and everything. It was this that kept Bakura coming to court, and why the advisors had agreed to allow Ryou into meetings when her presence would usually have banned her.
"Gozaburo's dead," Bakura finally said, breaking the silence.
Ryou blinked, her head snapping up to look at her brother. "Dead?"
Bakura continued to glare forward. "Yes, a week ago, apparently. No one's completely sure what happened."
"You don't mean..?"
"From my personal experience with Kaiba I wouldn't discredit the rumors so quickly." He growled as he thought of the soon to be king. "If I hadn't already signed the treaty when I became king there's no way I'd give you to him!" Bakura stood up, pacing angrily across the balcony. "I should just keep you here anyway! I'll be damned if I give you to a murder!"
Ryou reached out as Bakura passed her, grabbing his wrist firmly and pulling him down to sit next to her again. "And give Kaiba a reason to declare war?" She paused a moment, letting her words sink in. "We can't honorably pull out of this treaty unless we have evidence Kaiba committed murder, even then it would lead to war. Besides, Kaiba might not even renew the treaty. He never wanted to marry me in the first place. All we can do is wait."
Bakura studied his sister, Ryou managing not to waver from his intense gaze like she usually would when he settled that piercing gaze on her. Finally, the white haired king sighed as he stood. "I hate it when you're right."
Ryou smiled brightly until Bakura placed a hand on her head, messing up the girl's white tresses. "Hey!"
This time Bakura smiled, turning to walk away. "Get some rest, Ryou."
/
Mokuba almost ran to hug Roland, Kaiba's chief general, when he interrupted his tutor. The woman kept droning on and on about how now that Seto was to become king he would redefine the country. To give her credit she did at least manage to start out on topic, but she did digress rather quickly, usually to the point where Mokuba wanted to bang his head continually on the table to erase the memory of her voice.
It was at this point Roland quickly walked into the room, dismissing the woman who left with a huff. He pulled a chair up to the table where Mokuba sat, sitting close so they could talk without being overheard. "Prince Mokuba, we need your help."
"What's wrong? Did something happen to my brother?" Mokuba practically jumped out of his chair, ready to run to find his older brother.
"No," Roland said, placing a hand on the black haired boy's shoulder, pulling him back into his seat. "Your brother is fine; although the treaty with Kul Elna might be a different story."
"What's going on?"
Roland sighed. "First, do you know why this treaty is so important?"
If Roland wasn't so serious Mokuba would have rolled his eyes and told him everyone in the kingdom knew. Instead, the prince nodded. "It allies us with Kul Elna, keeping the trade routes with Yami and Otogi open. It also keeps Crawford at bay from attacking Kul Elna and Kame from attacking us. My father and the late king of Kul Elna signed the treaty seventeen years ago, but since power has shifted to their sons the treaty has to be resigned in order for it to still be valid."
Roland nodded, pleased. "So, you understand what will happen if your brother does not sign this treaty now that he is to be king."
"Seto's not going to sign the treaty!"
Roland sighed and sat back in his chair. "It's still up in the air. Prince Seto is no fool, I doubt he would risk his country like that, but he has no love for Bakura. The advisors underestimate your brother's abilities, especially in economics, but they think it would be a good idea if you talked to him. For once, I happen to agree with them, if only to make sure the prince is willing to do what must be done."
Mokuba paused for a moment to process the information before he nodded. "I'm sure Seto will sign the treaty, but I'll talk to him."
Roland sighed again, this time in relief. "Thank you, Prince Mokuba."
The dark haired prince nodded, slipping from his seat. "Don't worry, Roland. Seto won't start his reign by putting his people in danger.
/
"Big brother!" Mokuba greeted Seto as he walked into his room. Every night when Seto finally left his office he would come say goodnight to his brother, although it was rare Mokuba was still awake to say goodnight to him.
The older prince dismissed Mokuba's maid with a wave of his hand before going over to his brother's bed, sitting on the edge. "I talked with your tutor today. She says you're having trouble paying attention."
Mokuba made a face, sticking his tongue out. "It's hard to pay attention when all she says is," Mokuba's voice went three octaves higher as he mimicked the woman, "'Prince Seto is so amazing! Prince Seto will bring about a new age of peace and prosperity to Kaiba! Prince Seto makes me so hot!'"
Seto rolled his eyes, something he did only in front of his brother. "Mokuba."
"What? That's what she acts like! My old tutor would actually teach me things I need to know!"
The brunette was silent for a moment. "I'll see what I can do about getting Hawkins back."
Mokuba's eyes brightened. "Really? Thank you, Seto!" He threw the blankets off himself, kneeling next to his brother to wrap his arms around Seto's shoulders.
Seto smiled slightly, wrapping one arm around his brother. "Get some rest, Mokuba."
He moved to stand up but Mokuba grabbed onto the sleeve of his shirt. "Wait, Seto. There's something I need to talk to you about."
The soon to be king resettled himself on the bed, giving his brother his full attention. "What is it?"
Mokuba bit his lip. He'd been trying to figure out how to start this conversation all day, and had decided to just bite the bullet. Now that it came to it though Mokuba wasn't so sure. 'Well, here goes nothing.'
"About the treaty with Kul Elna…"
Seto groaned softly, resting his elbow on his knee as he rubbed his temples. "Not you too, Mokuba."
"It's important, Seto! People know you don't like Bakura and they're worried about what will happen!"
"I know. That's all anyone has been telling me all day! But you've never met Bakura, you don't understand."
"I understand that you're engaged to Ryou, not her brother!" Mokuba interrupted him.
Seto studied him for a moment before he sighed. "You're right. It's just hard to get over the fact that she's Bakura's sister. He's probably brainwashed her against me. I can't have a queen that's against me at every turn."
"But Prince Malik says she's sweet and caring. Besides, anyone is better than those girls who swoon over you now."
Mokuba and Seto both grimaced. "True," Seto said as he stood.
"Seto?"
"Don't worry, Mokuba. I'll sign the treaty. I was always going to. I don't plan to put this kingdom at risk."
Mokuba smiled, his body relaxing in relief. "Goodnight, Seto."
"Goodnight, Mokuba."
/
The entire court looked up when the sound of a commotion were heard just outside the throne room. Bakura stood up, glancing down at Ryou, silently warning her to stay back. The guards gripped their weapons tightly as the doors opened, everyone relaxing when they realized it was just a messenger.
"What's the meaning of this?" Bakura shouted. No one interrupted a private meeting between the king and his advisors unless it was extremely important.
"Prince Kaiba has signed the treaty! Kaiba is still our ally!"
A great sigh of relief escaped everyone in the room. Advisors began to laugh. Bakura and Ryou shared a look, the young woman nodding slightly to reassure her brother.
"This is good news indeed," Bakura said, the room quieting as he spoke, although he didn't sound pleased at all. "We must celebrate our continued friendship with Kaiba. Tonight we shall have a feast in honor of the new king."
Everyone cheered, people already planning for the night's festivities, ignoring the fact that their king looked ready to massacre them all. He was so busy glaring down at the advisors that he was surprised when someone placed a hand on his arm. He looked to his side to see Ryou smiling softly at him. "It's all right, Bakura. It'll be all right."
/
As soon as the last strand of hair was in place, Ryou dismissed her handmaid. She picked up the small picture she kept next to her mirror, bringing it to her lips. "Oh, Amane," she whispered, blinking back tears. "I'm so scared. What if they can't accept me? What if they hate me? What if Prince Kaiba hates me?" She gasped softly, shuddering at the thought she couldn't stop from entering her mind. "What if he really did kill his father? Is that why Bakura is so worried, he thinks Kaiba will kill me as well?"
A timid knock reached her ears, the servant's voice coming through the door. "Princess Ryou, the celebrations are about to start. King Bakura has asked for you."
"I'm coming," she answered, placing the picture of her little sister back in its place. Before opening the door she looked back on her room, the setting sun lighting the floor with fire.
/
Chapter one is done! Yay! A note on Kaiba, I think if he had a kingdom he would run it like his company, so that's how I tried to portray it. I also gave him more emotion in this chapter since he is only seen with Mokuba.
Anyways, let me know what you think. Helpful criticism is always welcome.
(Remember, no complaining about femRyou, you were already warned a number of times.)
