Yugi's POV:
I want to run around… There's not nearly enough space in here. I thought as I continued to pace around the small stone pen I was being kept in. There's not even any grass to snack on!
The horse traders used this special pen surrounded by stone for the wild or dangerous horses. I'm usually a patient and kind mount, but even I act up when someone is repeatedly hitting me with a riding crop. I mean, what horse wouldn't?
When I was sold to this place, the man in charge there decided he wanted to be the one to test me out. It was almost as if that man didn't know how to ride a horse. Then again, I think the man was drunk at the time. He kept pulling my reins way too hard and his directions weren't clear at all. The guy kept hitting me with his riding crop, which usually means go forward or go faster, yet he was pulling back on the reins to stop me! Eventually I couldn't take the abuse anymore and started trying to buck him off. Considering he was drunk, it didn't take long for him to fall off. After that, I was officially branded as a dangerous horse and put in this stupid, cramped enclosure.
"Hey! Hurry up! The Prince of Egypt is coming! Get our best horses ready to showcase for him!" The yelling broke through my thoughts and I looked up to see the man in charge shouting at the other people working there. Hmm… The Prince of Egypt? He's coming here? Wow… that's exciting. I never thought I'd get to see royalty.
I continued to pace around, but I paid more attention to the chaos going on around me. A lot of their most even-tempered and beautiful mares and stallions were brought out so the Prince could see them better and the rest of the horses were pushed back. Of course, I was just left where I was.
"He's here! The Prince is here!" A loud voice broke through the noise of everyone running around and it suddenly became silent. Men rushed to get to their positions and the lead man went to stand in front to greet the Pharaoh's son. I stopped with them and turned to watch the proceedings.
Everyone watched nervously as the Prince of Egypt rode in on a white mare. I was shocked when I saw him. He looked like me in my human form! Well, sort of. He was taller and much more muscular for one. Another difference was that some of his blonde bangs shot up to highlight his black hair with red tips. He also had crimson eyes. His face wasn't round and childish like mine. He looked strong and powerful, while I looked weak and pathetic. The Prince dismounted and so did his various guards.
Two of the people accompanying the Prince stood out to me. Unlike the other stiff and cautious guards, these two were relaxed and comfortable around the Prince. One wasn't wearing the guards' outfit, so he must be an advisor or something. He was extremely tall with brown hair and piercing blue eyes. The other wore the guard outfit but still seemed to be good friends with the Prince. That one had blonde hair and soft brown eyes.
"Prince Yami, what are we doing in this dump?" The tall brown-haired one said, not even bothering to lower his voice. Several of the men working in this 'dump' looked offended. I agreed with him.
"Shush, Seto. I'm willing to look anywhere to find a horse that I want." The Prince, also known as Yami apparently, said.
"I still don't get why ya want some 'special horse'. I think da ones at da Palace are just fine." The blonde guard said.
"Be quiet Joey, you know how much Yami's previous stallion meant to him. The Prince wants to find a suitable horse to replace him." Seto said quietly to Joey.
Yami, who had apparently heard him, said "I still don't think I will be able to find a horse to replace him. You are the man in charge of these stables, correct?" Yami walked up to the boss standing in front of everyone else.
"I am, my Prince." The man replied.
"I would like to see your horses." Prince Yami told him.
"Yes, of course. If you will just follow me, my Prince, I'll show you our best horses." The man bowed before leading the Prince to where they had taken all of their 'suitable' horses. At this point, I was bored again and started pacing around.
Yami's POV:
The man told me about every single horse and their great qualities, but I wasn't really interested in any of them, in fact, I was currently extremely bored. I only had to glance at a horse to know it wasn't the one for me. My attention didn't stay on one horse for more than five seconds.
Suddenly my attention was drawn to a pasture set apart from all the others. It was made of stone and looked very sturdy. Inside it was a gorgeous stallion. He was completely black with a long mane and tail, also black with purple tips. The horse's eyes were breath-taking. They were a sparkling amethyst and were filled with a human-like intelligence.
I instantly felt a connection with this horse and couldn't seem to take my eyes off of it. "What about that stallion?" I asked, indicating the black stallion in the pen.
"Trust me, my Prince, you don't want that one. He's dangerous. Almost killed me, he did." The man said hurriedly.
"I would like to see him." I said firmly. The man just nodded and motioned for one of his men to saddle the horse and ride it. I watched the beautiful stallion as it looked at me in… bewilderment?
Yugi's POV:
"What about that stallion?" The Prince asked suddenly. My attention instantly snapped to the Prince of Egypt and his escorts. He couldn't be talking about me, could he? Why would the Prince of Egypt want me?
Then I watched as one of the men came to ride me. I took a step back nervously. He was holding a crop, like all the other men here. Maybe this one is different. Some people carry those around for decoration… He could be nice… I shouldn't judge someone by their appearance… I stood patiently while they put a saddle and bridle on me. I was still a bit nervous.
The man got on and instantly I felt the sting of the riding crop as it hit my right flank. I walked forward obediently, thinking that's what he wanted from me. Apparently it wasn't because he yanked back on the reigns, the bit digging into my mouth. I backed up according to his instructions but that only got me several more whips from the crop. He pushed me forward then back again, he tugged me left and right, but nothing seemed to please him.
He continued to whip me continuously. Most of the blows came to my right flank, but sometimes he would switch to left. My right hip hurt immensely. Another downside of the curse is that I'm more sensitive to pain than normal horses. Stupid soft, sensitive skin.
I started to move around carelessly. I ran until I reached the boundary of my small prison, then I swiveled around and around, occasionally hitting against the railing. The man simply continued to hit me. I began to buck, tired of the endless abuse. Sadly, this man was sober and was much harder to get off.
"See, my Prince, this horse is nothing but trouble. You don't want him, you could get hurt." I heard the man say to the Prince who was watching disapprovingly.
Normal POV:
Yami watched as they continued to try and ride the stallion. What are those people thinking? Can they even ride a horse? No horse is going to respond properly if you treat it that way. Yami thought angrily.
"Stop!" He called out. The man riding Yugi stopped moving and Yugi did too, much to everyone else's surprise. "I would like to try riding him." Yami knew it was dangerous, but he had a feeling that the stallion would be perfectly fine if he wasn't hit with a riding crop so many times. The man in charge looked horrified at the idea.
"My Prince, I highly advise against it! You could be hurt!" Yami raised a hand to silence the man.
"I want to ride the stallion." The Prince repeated. He looked over at Seto, his advisor, daring him to disagree. Seto simply nodded his approval. He had also noticed the harsh treatment of the horse and had the same suspicions as Yami.
Yugi's POV:
The man riding me dismounted and walked out, offering his riding crop to the Prince as he came up to the gate. The Prince simply shook his head and entered the pen. I was extremely nervous and excited at the same time. The Prince of Egypt is going to ride me… I should feel honored, right? I am honored… yeah… What if I mess up? What if I accidentally hurt him? I stood perfectly still, panicked thoughts running through my mind. Everyone held their breath as Prince Yami mounted. I stayed as still as I possibly could so he could get on easier. Yami sat on my back for a while, silently waiting to see if it was safe. I stayed still and strained all my senses for even the littlest sign that he wanted me to do something.
I felt a gentle kick to my sides and I instantly started walking forward. He walked me around the arena a few times. I was surprised at how gentle he was. Yami didn't yank on my reigns as the others had and his kicks were soft. I felt another gentle kick to my side and I moved into a trot. After that I was instructed to lope. Sadly, there wasn't nearly enough room for a full out gallop, like I so desperately wanted after being cooped up in here for so long.
Prince Yami pulled back on my reigns and I immediately came to a stop. Then he gave a command that was completely foreign to me. The Prince pulled my reigns a little to the right but also pulling back. He also pressed his right foot into my side. I was baffled and did nothing for a moment. Then he softly whispered, "Come on, turn in a circle," as if talking to himself. Suddenly I understood and I was quick to obey.
He walked me forwards again and walked straight up to the railing, except he didn't give any command to turn, so instead of turning on my own like a normal horse would have done, I stopped. The Prince pulled the reigns to the left and kicked softly again. I walked in the direction he wanted me to go. He stopped me in the middle of the pen and dismounted. Once again, I stayed perfectly still. I didn't even move after he had gotten off.
"What's his name?" The Prince asked the man in charge.
"His previous owner told us his name was Yugi, my Prince." The man replied. I smiled inwardly. The first person who had bought me named me something stupid, so I changed into my human form and explained to him that 'the horse's' name was Yugi. Luckily, no one had bothered to change the name, so I got to keep my original title.
"Yugi… I like it. I would like to buy him." Prince Yami said. I was now utterly bewildered. I still couldn't believe the Prince of Egypt wanted me. Out of all the horses in Egypt, why me? At least it will get me away from this place.
The man selling the horses didn't argue. He was just happy that the Prince was buying the horse from their stable. Eventually they settled on a price. I personally thought it was too much, but both sides seemed happy with it. In the end I was riding off to the Palace with my new master, Prince Yami.