Ma'at's Apprentice: Chapter two. Yay? Yes, yay. This chapter has been playing itself over and over in my had since the first one came out. I'm serious. It won't stop.
Anyways, I'm sure you're not interested in hearing about my annoying plot bunnies. Nope. You're here for the story, eh? Don't blame you. I would be, too.
I'd like to thank all my reviewers/favoriters/alerters. And according to my computer "favoriters" and "alerters" aren't words.
Oh well.
Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! I'm sure you're all secretly rejoicing.
Also, yes, Anzu is a bit of a bitch in this story. I needed a bitchy character. So sue me.
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Yugi wasn't sure was woke him. Perhaps it was the hammer that was pounding on his head. Perhaps it was the bright light he could see, even with his eyes closed. Or maybe it was the scorching heat of the sand brushing against his skin. Either way, he –
Wait, what? Sand? Yugi bolted up, his eyes squinting as they grew accustomed to the unusual amounts of luminosity. What in the world...
Stretching as far as he could see was a sea of sand. And no, that was no exaggeration. Golden dunes rolled across the desert-like landscape, covering any traces of vegetation or other life forms.
But the question that was burning through Yugi's mind wasn't "Where am I?" No. It was more along the lines of: "Why am I here?" His mind went back to those last moments in Ishizu's spell room. Spell... the spell! Oh, gods! Yugi remembered now. How the spell had gone wrong when Anzu had interrupted – Wait, Anzu! Yugi looked around frantically, searching for his "friend".
"Anzu?" He called, but his voice was lost in the expense of desert sands. "Anzu?" He coughed as a sudden gust of wind blew sand into his open mouth, and he spat it onto the ground. "Help!" He suddenly called, feeling desolation and despair wash over him.
He was alone. In a desert. With no food or water, or any signs of civilization.
Was the fact that there was no water mentioned?
Yugi clutched his head and moaned. Already the searing heat was getting to him, especially since he was wearing his gray vest, black shirt, and matching pants. The usual spot where the Millennium Puzzle had hung was bare, reminding Yugi yet again of his yami's absence. And of what he had been trying to do before ending up here.
Yugi suddenly stood up, staggering slightly as his head cleared. He knew that wandering around in the desert spelled almost certain death, but if by some fluke he was able to find an oasis, well... all the better.
And so, his eyes narrowed in determination, Yugi started walking forward, not knowing that this choice would impact not only his life, but the lives of many others as well.
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After wandering around for god knows how long, Yugi finally fell to his knees in a state of exhaustion. His throat felt dry and parched, and he was constantly wiping the sweat off his brow. He needed to find water... and soon.
Wait, what was that? There, up ahead! Yugi squinted his amethyst eyes, trying to make out the wavy form up ahead. But it wasn't a human form, oh, no. It was water. Yugi didn't even try and question his sanity. The water up ahead was so blue... so... appealing... Yugi could feel his mouth watering... or rather, watering as much as it could when he was dehydrated and exhausted.
I could go just a little longer, Yugi thought. I could make it.
And so, Yugi struggled to his feet again and trudged forward, his sneakers making imprints in the sand as he moved. However, to Yugi's dismay, he didn't seem to be drawing any closer to the small pond of water.
It was too much. He was too tired. Maybe... maybe if he could sleep for just one moment... Yugi felt his eyelids closing, flaked with sand as the tiny particles whirled around in the wind.
One minute... just one minute...
And he was out.
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"Is he waking up yet, sir?"
"Quiet, men... he needs his rest... You, boy... are you all right?" Yugi distantly heard the voices; voices he found he could not respond to. His throat felt dry... parched... and his head was still spinning. He tried vainly to respond, but fond he could not. He could feel someone prod him gently, the same voice saying: "Boy... boy? Do you have a name?"
"Sir, what if he's a spirit? Or a messenger for the gods? I mean, look at him!" Yugi heard another voice, and he could feel someone fondling his jacket.
"Quiet! If he is indeed such, it would not bode well for us to speak as such in his presence."
"It would also explain the striking resemblance to the Pharaoh..."
"Brothers?"
"Possibly. Half-brothers, at least. Maybe from one of the old Pharaoh's lesser wives..."
"Or concubines."
"That, too."
"... He hasn't woken up, yet."
"Does anyone have any water?"
"I have water right here, sir."
"Give it to me!" Yugi suddenly felt something pressed to his lips right before heaven coursed down his throat.
"Think we got to him in time, sir?" Yugi was able to open his eyes a crack, the blackness he had become so accustomed to slowly fading away to reveal two important-looking men standing before him. A pair of amethyst orbs belonging to one of the two men sparkled as Yugi's eyes suddenly snapped open in shock.
"Yes. Just in time." Said the man. He wore creamy white robes with a strange headdress. Covering half his face was a piece of cloth, but Yugi could still tell he was smiling.
"G-Grandpa?" Yugi could not believe his eyes. Even through the layers of cloth, this man was almost identical to Solomon Motou. The two men looked at him strangely.
"Well I'll be, Siamun! His eyes..." The second man, who wore a helmet and armour, leaned close to Yugi, staring at his eyes for so long that the little hikari started to fidget uncomfortably. "... it's like you're related!"
We are, Yugi thought privately. "What are you doing here, grandpa?" Yugi asked.
"Grandpa? Siamun, old fellow, you never told me you had a grandson!" The soldier-looking guy laughed. The other man looked confused.
"I don't..." Yugi bit his lip. This was all so confusing...
"Please... sirs, where am I?" Yugi finally asked, sitting up on the pallet he had apparently been laying on to clutch his head lightly. Yugi peered at Siamun again. Though the man apparently wasn't his grandfather, he couldn't shake the feeling that he had seen this EXACT person before... somewhere... The soldier chuckled again.
"That sun really fried your brain there, didn't it!" He laughed. Yugi shook his head and took a look around.
They were obviously in a tent; he could tell from the cloth that surrounded them on four sides. But it wasn't any tent he had seen before, no sir. The inside had various artefacts lying around, preserved in the best conditions Yugi had ever seen! While his grandfather had often brought home souvenirs, proclaiming at how well preserved they had been... well, it was nothing compared to this.
"Where did you find all this stuff?" Yugi gasped, looking at a tablet of hieroglyphics, so well preserved that it appeared to have been written only moments ago. While Yugi could not decipher all the strange alien symbols, he recognized the symbol for "Pharaoh" and "Man"... or was it "Boy"?
"Find, my boy?" The man who Yugi had come to identify as Siamun asked. Both males were staring at Yugi in confusion. It was then Yugi realized that he was not speaking Japanese anymore, rather some odd language they had barely touched reference on in history class.
"Am I speaking Egyptian?" Yugi asked out loud.
"What else would you be speaking?" The soldier looked confused. Yugi's eyes merely widened. So he was speaking Egyptian... in a desert... How could this be? How could he know how to speak Egyptian? Perhaps it was a side effect of the spell...
"Am I in Egypt?"
"..." Was the only response.
"I think he's suffering from dehydration. He's not speaking clearly," the soldier murmured quietly to Siamun, who didn't reply. Instead, he stared at Yugi with an unreadable expression.
"What day is it?" Yugi pleaded.
"Day?"
"Or year! Anything! Like, July 2009! Something!"
"July 2009? I have never heard of such a thing. Today is the feast of Hathor, goddess of-" He was about to say something else when Siamun lay a hand on his shoulder.
"Be silent, Khaldun." Siamun said sternly.
"Young one, I need to talk to you." Siamun held a hand out to Yugi, who took it silently and allowed himself to be led out of the tent.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
As soon as Yugi stepped out of the cloth building, the searing heat and blazing sun hit him full force. He gasped, but after receiving a worried look from Siamun, straightened and followed silently. They walked for about five minutes until they came to where a bunch of horses were tethered to a cart. Siamun sat down, and Yugi did the same after a moment's hesitation.
"Young one..."
"Yugi."
"Yugi..." Siamun tasted the name, marvelling at its oddness. "What does that mean?" Yugi looked slightly embarrassed.
"It, umm... means 'Game'. I'm really good at games..." He babbled, face heated from both the sun and this conversation. Siamun nodded, looking thoughtful.
"Our Pharaoh is a master at games," he said. Yugi looked up.
"P-Pharaoh?" Oh, crap... that means...
"Yes. Pharaoh. The Lord of Two Lands. Son of Re. Ruler of Egypt." So he was in Egypt...
"Pharaoh." Yugi repeated, his mind making the connection, and his eyes widening in horror. He really had traveled three thousand years into the past!
"If you are a messenger from the gods..."
"What?! I am no messenger!" Yugi cried. "Certainly not from the gods! I'm just here... looking for someone. Someone important." Yugi looked down at his hands. Siamun patted his knee.
"Back to business. Yu...gi, where are you from? Your skin is so pale..." Yugi froze up.
"Umm... Japan?"
"Ja...pan." Siamun's brow furrowed. "Never heard of it. Where is that?"
"Umm, well, I guess you wouldn't have... It's really far away."
"And you're looking for someone, you said?"
"Yes..." Yugi's gaze dropped again and he folded his hands in his lap with a large sigh.
"And you think that someone is here? In Egypt?" Siamun asked incredulously.
"No... I-I, I didn't mean to come here... it was an accident..."
"An accident?"
"I was... umm..." Yugi's mind raced, going over all the history lessons about Egypt he had ever been subject to listen to. "Kidnapped. By slavers." He said quickly. "My friend was, too. We were travelling across the desert when we... umm... were hit by a sandstorm. The slavers disappeared and left us to fend for ourselves. My friend and I wandered around for... awhile. Have you seen her?"
"I have seen a lot of females hanging around Thebes. What did she look like?"
"Umm... short brown hair, blue eyes... pale skin like me. Last I saw her she was wearing... umm... a pink miniskirt, a yellow tank-top, and a pink jean jacket." Yugi then cursed himself. Would these people even know what those things were?
"Jean?" Nope. One of the horses whinnied nearby. Siamun walked over to it and began patting its nose gently, murmuring soothing words. The horse bowed its head, exhaling through its nose. "You're a very strange person, Yugi," Siamun said. Yugi's ears went hot.
"Umm, well..." Yes, but it couldn't possibly because I'm from three thousand years in the future. By the way, have you seen a man that could be mistaken for my twin or older brother? No? Well, sorry to bother you. Good day, sir.
"Ah, no matter. Have you no family, my boy?"
"They died," Yugi said quietly. It wasn't all a lie. Yes, they had died, just not in this time period.
"I'm sorry. Do you have any place to work? Any way to take care of yourself?" Siamun's eyes held a grandfatherly concern.
"No," Yugi admitted, bowing his head. Siamun looked at him strangely.
"Do you have a brother?" Yugi was caught off guard by the question.
"N-No, sir!"
"Enough with the sir, Yugi. Just call me Siamun." Siamun chuckled fondly. The horse he was stroking snorted, and Yugi took the opportunity to glance into the cart. What he saw nearly took his breath away.
Inside were various goods: Spices, expensive cloth... heck, even some gold pieces! Yugi sucked in his breath. "Where are you taking all this stuff? Don't you know there are bandits out here?" Yugi recalled some more of his history lessons, and the stuff he had dug up about Egypt when Yami had gone all obsessive over his past.
Yami...
"Yes, Yugi. But you see, it's for the Pharaoh. Or, rather, for the festival planned for tonight. I need to get these to him. That's why I travel with such a large guard, you see." Yugi looked around. Indeed, he had noticed a bunch of men milling around by the large tent, a five minute walk away. Small camp fires were set up all around for cooking whatever food they could find. Yugi mentally chided himself for not noticing this stuff earlier, but in his defence, he had been rather... preoccupied. Thought-wise, anyways.
"For tonight, si-err, Siamun?" Yugi asked. "Surely you will not make it! We are in the middle of nowhere!"
"No quite true. While we will be a little later, something I hope the Pharaoh won't stress about, we will get there in about an hour's ride." Siamun peered closely at Yugi.
"Yugi, would you consider yourself a hard worker?"
"I... I guess so," Yugi frowned, twirling one of his blonde bangs around his index finger.
"Good." Siamun smiled. Yugi looked alarmed now, noticing Siamun's almost smug expression. "Because I know exactly where you can work."
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"Are you sure about this?" Yugi's lower lip trembled slightly as he stared at the massive sprawling metropolis down below. Truly, Thebes was a beautiful sight. White houses, looking so small from where Yugi stood, littered the busy, merchant-filled streets. He could faintly see the people rushing around, dressed in clothes that defined their social status.
Further into the city, yet somehow nearer the back, loomed the palace of the nameless Pharaoh. Though, Yugi thought, he was only nameless because Siamun and Khaldun had yet to say his name in the young King of Games' presence. Yugi figured you weren't supposed to say the name. They usually just referred to him as "the Pharaoh", or something like that.
Which, in retrospect, wasn't unusual for this time period, Yugi imagined. But still.
It was wonderful.
And he wasn't even in the city yet.
Siamun placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. Yugi didn't respond, instead gaping wide-mouthed. He had always imagined his grandpa finally taking him to see the ruins, but he'd never imagined seeing the city in its prime. With the man who could have been his grandpa in a past life.
Granted, he had been forced to travel over three thousand years into the past, and had almost died in the desert, but still.
And now... now he was to work in the palace of the Pharaoh. The Pharaoh! The living God, Son of Re, the Lord of Two Lands... And not even as a slave, but as a free servant. Siamun had said he'd vouch for him, and if there was no opening, the man who Yugi had later found out was the Pharaoh's advisor could pull a few strings.
"Positive. You'll do fine, Yugi." Khaldun said encouragingly. Despite Yugi's earlier thoughts, the man was actually alright. He was polite, civil, and certainly not barbaric. Siamun nodded, withdrawing his hand and placing it in his rode.
"Shall we be off? Must not keep the Pharaoh waiting much longer. This is a very important feast, you know."
"It would be even more important if the Pharaoh would actually find a love to settle down with. Everyone knows the Living Horus despises Hathor." Khaldun said.
"But why? How can you hate the goddess of love?" Among other things, Yugi added privately.
"You really haven't been here very long, have you?" Khaldun replied. Siamun whacked him over the head with a rod he had been carrying.
Same old, same old, Yugi thought. Grandpa would never let someone get away with saying disrespectful things like that.
"I'll not tolerate a bad word about our Pharaoh. While he may not be the warmest, he is doing a brilliant job under all the stress! And for one so young..." Siamun shook his head.
"Young?" Yugi asked.
"Yes. He's a few years older than you. Around eighteen." Yugi's ears burned at this.
"Actually, I guess that makes me and the Pharaoh the same age!" Yugi tried to mask his shock and embarrassment. Shock at finding out this (literally) golden country was ruled by a man no older than himself, and embarrassment for being mistaken for someone younger.
Again.
"My apologises," Siamun murmured. He turned around then, walking across the dune to his bay-coloured horse. Said animal whinnied and tossed its head, pawing at the ground with impatience. Khaldun chuckled and mounted his own ride; a chestnut mare. Yugi followed the general as Khaldun climbed on to his horse's back, holding out his hand to Yugi, who took it gratefully and allowed himself to be hauled up.
Little did he know that the closer the horses and procession of men moved towards the city of Thebes and the palace of the Pharaoh, the closer he moved to one of the most feared monarchs of all time. The man who was supposedly without a heart. Or at least, that's how he appeared to everyone that didn't know him personally.
How was little Yugi to know what would lie in store?
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Meanwhile...
Anzu ran through the streets of Thebes, trying to dodge the strange men in armour that were chasing her. Geez, all she had done was borrow an apple from one of the funny little men selling things on the streets! She even gave him five bucks for it!
"Stop, thief!" She kept running, trying to blend in with the crowd, ignoring the fact that she stood out like a sore thumb. These last two days had been host to the most horrible occurrences of her life! First, she had woken up on the outskirts of some random city, a bunch of street children staring at her like they wanted to approach her (most likely to try and steal something), but were too scared to.
Well, why wouldn't they be scared? Some girl with short brown hair, wearing a pink jacket, miniskirt, and yellow tank top had just randomly appeared in front of them. Plus, there was the matter of her odd, platform-like shoes, which made running kind of awkward, and almost impossible.
Too bad she hadn't discovered that before now.
She kept running, trying to dodge the sudden crowd of people, before she crashed into someone.
"Hey, watch it!" The figure hissed, and Anzu looked up.
"B-Bakura?" She scrambled backwards then, realizing who it actually was.
Yami Bakura. Ryou Bakura's insane yami... in Egyptian form. Thief King Akefia Bakura, whom she had seen when they had traveled back into Yami's World of Memory.
Well, hell. She was thoroughly screwed.
"Watch it!" The figure snarled. Anzu flinched and tried to scurry back. There was no way she wanted to be anywhere near this man, no matter how attractive he was!
She needn't have bothered. Some fat noble stepped between them, and Bakura had suddenly vanished. Anzu gulped, frantically glancing around. Bakura had been a stealth master. He could be sneaking up behind her, intent on doing horrible things! What if he-
"There she is!"
Or maybe he had just been smart enough to see the guards and flee before he could be seen talking to moronic girl wearing the telltale pink-and-yellow outfit.
Great. Just great. As if these past days hadn't already been horrible.
Briefly, Anzu considered the events of the past few days, and grimaced. If only she hadn't interfered...
Flashback
Anzu sat at the booth of the Burger Bistro, joining her friends as they stared after Yugi's departing figure in confusion. Anzu frowned. Normally she wouldn't care, except... hmm... something didn't add up. Or rather, something did, but in an odd way.
And now she was just confusing herself.
Anzu dropped her nail file into her purse and stood up. "I think it's time I was going," she said, not noticing the relieved looks passed all around. In fact, there were only three things on her mind: Yami, and following Yugi. And really, those three things were just one thing.
Following Yugi because she knew whatever he was going to do had something to do with Yami. So, flinging her bag over her shoulder, Anzu left the Burger Bistro, letting the door swing shut behind her.
-=-=-=-
Anzu walked down the road towards the Ishtar's house. She had been trailing Yugi and Marik for some time, coming up with six thousand somewhat plausible explanations as to what was going on.
So far, no real luck. The girl kept walking, the clop clop clop of her platform sandals hitting the pavement providing no distraction from the thoughts that plagued her.
Little Yugi Motou was hiding something.
And she would find out what it was.
-=-=-=-
Anzu was crouched outside of the door to Ishizu's spell-room-thing. In their haste, the Ishtars had forgotten to lock their door; a fact Anzu had made sure to take advantage of. Now, her eyes merely widened in shock as she heard what was going on.
They were going to bring Yami back? Yes! Anzu wanted to dance in triumph.
But wait... she wanted to be there!
After all, she thought, why would he want to see Yugi first when he could see me?
So it was with that thought in mind that Anzu burst into the room.
-=-=-=-
Then all hell broke loose because apparently Anzu had disrupted the spell. Psh. These people were just trying to blame her for everything. It was like some writer had suddenly classified her as a bad-guy of some sort.
Only no bad guy looked as good as she did. Seriously. What bad guy had -- never mind.
So, after she had magically transported to Ancient Egypt (yes, she had figured out where she was) by means of some dark magic crap or whatever, Anzu had marched into the city, and somehow found somewhere to sleep for the past two days.
And now she was running for her life from ugly men in armour. Hooray.
"Gotcha!" Anzu let out a high-pitch squeal as the guard grabbed her arm.
"Let go of me, you brute! You can get reported for this! You can't just assault decent girls on the street! I'll call the cops on you!" Anzu went on and on before remembering she was in Ancient Egypt.
Oh, right. No cops.
Damn.
"Decent?" The guard asked, looking her up and down. "Don't look so decent to me."
"Whore!" Another guard jeered. Anzu's face flushed from both anger and embarrassment.
"Yeah, well, if I had known I was going to be magically transported to Egypt, I would have worn something different!" She protested. The guards evidentially thought she was insane and started laughing.
"Shut up! I'll..." Anzu trailed off as she suddenly spotted a figure with familiar tri-coloured hair.
Yugi! But... what was he doing with those two men?
"Yugi!" She screamed. "Yugi, help me!" She paused as the figure turned, half expecting it to be Yami, in a way, and not because she really liked him. It would be more logical. After all, he did come from Egypt...
However, when the figure turned, she was so grateful to see a proverbial face that she didn't care whether it was Yami or Yugi.
"Anzu?" Yugi gasped. Anzu was so deliriously happy she would have bowed down and worshipped the ground the little hikari walked upon.
"Yugi, help me! These guards think I stole something, but I didn't! I paid the man! How was I to know they didn't accept our local currency?"
Yugi paused, obviously laughing at her silently. He turned to his companions and pointed to Anzu, whose eyes were wide with fear.
Then the man with the veil covering his face walked over, said something to her captors, and she was free.
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Yugi could hardly believe his ears as he heard his friend call his name. And even when he turned to see her being manhandled by some guards, he still couldn't believe it. In fact, he was about to pass it off as a mirage when she called out again, and Yugi realized that she was really there.
Flashback
The short hikari pulled at the edges of the new white tunic Siamun had given him.
"I'm sure the Pharaoh won't mind one missing personal servant tunic... we can just say it got ruined." Siamun said as Yugi stared at himself in the ladle of water he had been presented with. The tunic went down to just above his knees, and was held by a rope around his waist. The top part was simple, really; the typical tunic-look. His sneakers had been replaced with a pair of traditional sandals, something his feet had been eternally grateful for.
"As long as you're sure..." Yugi's original clothes were hidden in a wicker basket. One could not walk in to Thebes looking as he had on arrival.
Khaldun had provided Yugi with a basin of water and a rag, and Yugi had cleansed the dirt and sand from his body. Now, at least, he looked presentable. Siamun, however, kept giving him looks.
"What is it?" Yugi finally asked after the fourth time he had caught the elder staring.
"You remind me of... myself. And someone else," the old man said. "Your hair might be a problem when we arrive in Thebes..."
"Why?" Yugi asked, confused.
"Because-"
"Siamun, we are entering the city!' Khaldun called, and Yugi felt his shoulders droop in disappointment. Why was it so hard to find out more about the Pharaoh? I mean, he was only the divine ruler, the Living Horus... But to his surprise, most the of the soldiers had been really closed-mouth about it, too. So, Yugi had resigned himself to sitting still as the procession moved into Thebes itself.
He was vaguely surprised when the guards suddenly broke off, marching ahead. The carriage trailed behind... at least until Yugi asked if they could stop for a moment. Khaldun had been about to protest, but Siamun had silenced him and nodded. Yugi had slid out of the carriage, staring at the street vendor goods.
Oh, how good those pastries looked... Siamun must have noticed this, for he quickly drew out a couple coins and handed them to the woman that managed the stall. She was obviously minding it for someone, but was eager to make the sale. In fact, she even gave Yugi an extra pastry. Yugi gave her the full-force smile, and had been about to return to the carriage when Anzu called him.
-=-=-=-
And now both the friends were riding in the carriage towards the palace. Yugi had given Anzu his other pastry and was now smiling, just happy to see a friend... even if it was Anzu.
Suddenly, the brown-haired girl across from him fixed him with a penetrating glare.
"Where the hell are we? What is this place? I've been wandering around, getting chased by ugly men in armour, and I want to know WHERE WE ARE!"
"Egypt, Anzu..." Came Yugi's tentative reply.
"Well, obviously! But where? What time period? Obviously I know this is Ancient Egypt, but..." Anzu shut up as Yugi clamped a hand over her mouth.
"Shush! People think we're odd enough already!" Yugi smiled and sat back. They were just lucky they had been able to purchase some clothes for Anzu before leaving. She now wore a pain linen shift, also tied at the waist with a rope. Her platforms had been replaced by more practical sandals, as well.
"Oh..." Anzu frowned. The palace was looming closer with every second, and Yugi was beginning to sweat with nervousness. What would happen if Siamun couldn't find and opening for both him and Anzu? What if there was only one spot?
Oh, gods... What if they were forced to join a concubine? What if-
"Yugi!"
-they were forced onto the streets to fend for themselves? And if they-
"Yugi!"
-were forced into a-
"YUGI!" Yugi looked up.
"Yes?"
"You spaced out. Look!" Anzu pointed to the palace, which was suddenly right in front of them. It loomed; golden and bright. Even though the front gate-like things were closed, Yugi could still see the magnificent gardens spread out before him. The pathways to the palace doors were lined on each side with flowers of all sorts. Trees grew and stretched across the garden itself; there were maybe fourteen throughout the whole thing, he guessed.
Sapphire, amethyst, crimson, and topaz-coloured flowers were neatly arranged.
"Such a lovely, warm garden. Shame it belongs to such a cold-hearted Pharaoh..." Yugi's head turned as he heard the two guards that were walking along with the carriage start talking to each other.
"Hush, Kalian. If someone were to hear you..." The other guard glanced around nervously. The first guard, Kalian, snorted.
"I mean, he doesn't even..." Something was whispered.
"That's treason!" The second guard gasped. The first guard shrugged, but by then the guards at the gate-thing had pulled aforementioned structure open, and the carriage door had been flung aside. Siamun, who had been riding along the side on his horse with Khaldun, helped them out.
"Come on," the Pharaoh's advisor said warmly. Yugi smiled. Such kindness was so rare, Yugi knew, especially since, without any money, Yugi was no better than those street urchins.
He was so lucky to have been found by Siamun Muran.
"Come on Yugi. Anzu. I have sent a message to the palace. You're expected. The Pharaoh must make the final decision, however." Yugi looked up sharply. He knew this was highly unusual.
"Why?"
"I have spoken so fondly of you both. I am the Pharaoh's advisor, after all." Siamun chuckled. "Our Pharaoh has also been slightly... paranoid, of the late," he admitted. "But I'm sure you'll be fine. I'll just present you quickly, and that'll be it! You'll be in!" Siamun smiled, walking down the path towards the giant palace doors. The cart of goods was being pulled after them by the two guards, and Siamun signalled to the guards to take the cart in another way, so the servants and slaves could prepare the great hall for the feast of Hathor.
"Thank you, Siamun. For everything you've done for me." Yugi said, looking down.
"No problem, Yugi my boy." Siamun patted Yugi's head full of odd hair, marvelling at it.
"I didn't think two such hairstyles could exist in the world!" The man laughed.
"Pardon?"
"You'll see, Yugi. You'll see." Anzu suddenly coughed noisily.
"Are you going to go, or just stand here chatting?"
"We shall go. I must fill the Pharaoh in about my travels, and you two, well..." Siamun shook his head.
"Again, thank you," Yugi murmured quietly, as he and the others walked towards the doors.
But not even three thousand years of preparation could have primed Yugi and Anzu for the surprise that lay beyond those walls.
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Ma'at's Apprentice: And there you have it, chapter two. Sorry it took so long. Hectic schedule stuff. Which royally sucks and I hate it.
/Shrugs/ Well, either way, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I stretched out writing it for a week or two, then finished over half of it in one night.
So please ignore any errors, for I know I probably made some and missed them again when I read over the chapter.
So... yeah. /Shrugs again/
Reviews are appreciated.
Until next time,
-Ma'at's Apprentice
