Hello, everyone.

Thank you so much for the reviews.

I got this idea when I was babysitting the six year old daughter of our neighbours.

Recently she has become a large fan of not only Disney but also of Yu-Gi-Oh!

And when I was babysitting her, she wanted to watch Mulan and when we're watching it and the part that Shang was training everyone was on, she suddenly said: "I bet Yami can do all of that too."

And then I suddenly had a light ball.

I hope you will all like this first chapter and please tell me what you think.

XxX Emmetje

A Girl in the Egyptian Army

Chapter 1

Another War

Soldiers were walking over the stone borders of the Egyptian empire. It was night and it was very silent. Almost too silent.

The walls had been placed recently to defend the empire better when they were under attack. And they had not been built without some setback. But now they were standing, strong and well guarded.

One of the guards was just doing his nightly round when a large bird flew against his head and stole the headpiece on his head. The soldier glanced at the bird whose big yellow eyes had an evil glow in them. It screeched and that screech was followed by a hook that was thrown up and got stuck behind one of the stones of the wall. And that one hook was followed by many more.

The soldier raised alarm immediately. "We are under attack! Light the signal!" He made a run to one of the towers which held the signal and succeeded just into reaching it without getting harmed.

He stumbled back on his feet and grabbed a torch that was hanging against one of the walls and turned around to light the signal, but stopped when another person jumped over the stone walls of the watchtower. His breathe caught in his throat when he saw that the person in front of him was none other then Anubis, God of the Death.

The bird landed on his shoulder and Anubis' dark eyes drilled themselves into the eyes of the soldier, making the man shiver in fright. But that was just for a moment because after that there came a strong determination in the eyes of the soldier and he threw the torch into the wood that started to burn immediately.

Anubis turned slowly around and glanced towards the other watch towers for a second, seeing that the signals there were also lit on fire, before turning back to the soldier again.

"Now everyone knows that you're here. Word will soon reach the Pharaoh and he will prepare for battle."

Anubis grinned. "Perfect. That's exactly what we wanted."

The soldier suddenly stiffened and his eyes widened in fear. Then his body started to tremble and after that he fell on the ground. This time his body was lifeless. Behind him, or where he had been standing, was standing a woman with a pale skin, black hair and even blacker eyes. She was wearing a black battle armour, made for her and her alone.

"We made the first move," said Anubis. "Now let's see what the Pharaoh does."

The woman grinned evilly. "It's predictable what he will do." She walked towards him and started over the protected border. "I'll soon have plaid my part in this deal. And when the Pharaoh is dead and you've rule over Egypt –" She turned around, giving him a dangerous look. "– do not forget your part in the deal."

Anubis grinned. "Don't worry, my Black Queen. I will keep to my part of the agreement if you keep to yours." He also turned around, now facing her. "Now, how about we start killing some Egyptian soldiers?"

The woman grinned devilishly. "I thought you would never ask."

Pharaoh Atemu was looking rather tired at his councillors. He had yet to reach the age of twenty two but had already fought twice as many wars in his four years of being Pharaoh as his father had in the forty-five years of ruling Egypt as a Pharaoh.

His enemies never stopped coming. They always returned. If it wasn't the Thief King Bakura who was trying to steal the Millennium Items, then it was Anubis, God of the Death, who tried to destroy the world, starting with Egypt. And then you always had their hostile neighbours.

He signed, resting his chin on his hand while staring at his councillors. He wasn't really listening. He wasn't even paying attention, as a matter of fact.

He longed to get away from his life in the Palace. To just skip the boring councils and get some time off before another war would break out. He had yet to recover from his previous battle wounds.

The head of his councillors was Shimon and he had known him for already his whole life. Shimon had already been head of the councillors back when his father still had been Pharaoh and before that he had been one of the Guardians of the Millennium Items.

Shimon was, like always, standing beside Atemu's throne and gave the young Pharaoh a small poke against his arm as a signal that he should be paying attention. This only made Atemu sign again.

"Our borders are well protected," protested one of the councillors to something another had said. "There is no need to send even more men to protect them."

"It has been too long since a last attack. We should be cautious."

"If we send even more men to the borders, there are none here to protect the Palace or to fight when another war breaks out," said yet another councillor.

"But I'm telling you, they're planning something."

"The only one planning something here is you. What reasons do you have to fear an attack from our neighbours?"

Atemu signed yet again, shifting his position so he was leaning with his chin on his other hand. They were already talking about this subject for quite a while. He was slowly starting to lose them. If he hadn't already.

"Your Majesty." Atemu sat up normally when their attention shifted to him. "What is your opinion in this?"

"I agree that there is no immediate threat from our neighbours. I don't think more men will be necessary."

And with saying that, he finally ended that subject. The councillors changed to yet another subject, this time talking about an upcoming celebration that would be held in the Palace.

Atemu moved back into his previous position, leaning with his chin on his hand again, staring absently into the distance.

He was already Pharaoh for four years and he still wasn't used to the fact that even though he was the most powerful man in the country, he was also the one who had no freedom at all. Every single day looked the same and it was that he made very clear that he would fight his own battles or else that wouldn't even be the case.

His head shot up and he started shocked at his councillors, now very much awake and alert because of what they said. He just hoped that he had heard them wrong. "Please, could you repeat that?"

"You can not rule this country on your own, Your Highness. The people are fiercely loyal to you and that is not the problem. But what this country needs, what the people need and what perhaps you need too, Sire, is a Queen. A soft, loving, brave and kind Queen."

Both Atemu's eyebrows shot up. "You're telling me that I need to find a woman."

"You're already on the throne for four years, Your Majesty. It is time for you to marry," said another councillor. "There are enough wealthy princesses that…"

"Enough," interrupted Atemu. "Enough." All the men fell quite. "I do not wish to marry. And I do absolutely not wish to be told that I should marry."

"But, Sire, marrying would open so many doors. There would be things you should not have to worry about anymore and marrying a wealthy princess would not only mean more money but also more land…"

"I'm not going to marry anyone just because you councillors think that we need more money or even more land to rule over," snapped Atemu. "Leave." When they didn't move, the look in his eyes became dark and his face became angry. "Now!"

They quickly bowed and nearly ran out of the throne room, leaving only Atemu and Shimon there. The young Pharaoh signed and leaned back in his throne.

"My Pharaoh, with all do respect, but they were right about one thing."

Atemu signed, pressing a hand against his forehand. "And what might that be?"

"A Queen would be good for the empire and its people. A Queen would be good to the Palace too and if it's the right Queen, she would be good for you too."

Atemu shook softly his head, glancing up again. "I do not wish to marry, Shimon. That is just not a desire that is in my heart right now. It is neither something that's on my mind."

"I understand, Sire. But that doesn't change the fact that it would be good for many things."

"So what do you council me to do? Find the wealthiest and most obedient woman in whole Egypt and marry her for her money and her land?" He shook his head, loathing that idea. "I want to marry out of love and nothing else. Just like my parents."

"And I respect that completely. Everyone respects that. A Queen you married out of love would make everything so much brighter and would do so much more good then a Queen you married for her money."

"But you still want me to look for a woman that looks like a good potential wife."

"Looking is never wrong and you can learn to love someone. Sometimes it just needs time."

He bowed and left him too. And by doing so he didn't see that the young King shook his head in disgust.

A marriage for no other reason then to gain more wealth and more money was something he absolutely loathed, just like slavery. Yes, he was an odd Pharaoh.

He stood up and walked also out of the throne room and out of the Palace. The garden was one of his favourite spots to visit when he tried to relax and get his mind of things. His mother had once looked after them but after her death, no one had taken over her job and even though most flowers and trees were still there, the gardens were not as beautiful as they once had been.

With a sign, Atemu let himself sink unto a stone bench that was standing under a fruit tree. He leaned against the tree trunk while closing his eyes. He had so much on his mind and marrying wasn't something that he also wanted to have on his thoughts.

"Boo!"

Atemu smiled and opened one eye to see his oldest and closest friend hanging on one of the branches upside down in front of his face. "Hello, Mana."

"Oh!" she pouted. "I didn't even startle you!"

"Should you have?"

"Yes! You didn't know I was here and… Wait, you didn't know I was here, right?"

"I didn't have a clue."

"Then why didn't I startle you?"

"Because you trying to startle me isn't something out of the ordinary. I'm used to you sneaking up on me."

"But I was practising my new invisibility spell."

She looked so sad that it hadn't worked that it made Atemu smile slightly. "Cheer up, Mana. You might not have startled me but your invisibility spell works. I hadn't noticed you were hanging in that tree."

Her face cleared up, like a small child that was getting some candy. "You really didn't?" He shook his head. "Awesome! It really worked!"

Atemu laughed a little. Mana and he had grown up together. They were practical family. She was like his little sister that he always tried to protect, hated to see sad and he always trusted, no matter what.

She was also a Magician in study, learning how to use and control magic with the help of Mahad, one of Atemu's Priests and Guardian of the Millennium Ring. She would someday became also member of the Secret Council that protected the ruling Pharaoh.

"What's on your mind?" asked Mana while shifting her position like a little monkey. "You look troubled, even slightly disgusted. There isn't another war coming, right?"

"There's always another war coming, Mana," said Atemu, rather tired of that idea. "The question is when it will break out and who we will fight."

"Okay." She swung her legs back and forward. "I guess." Then she frowned. "On the other hand, wars aren't okay. They shouldn't be normal for us. So that's not okay. I guess."

Atemu smiled again. Mana was most of the times a scatter-brain. It was normal for her to forget her shoes or to forget to eat before she would go to her training. The latter would often lead to an angry Mahad, as magic needed a lot of energy. And her practising magic while being hungry led to spells that went wrong (like blowing up a vase while trying to make an apple float), complains and whining (like 'I'm hungry!' or 'I can't do this stupid spell!') and spells that didn't work at all.

But part of the reason that he cared so much for her was to the fact that she was so clumsy and such a scatter-brain.

"So what war is upon us this time? Who are we going to fight?"

"No war yet. But it will come. Sooner or later."

"And that has you so troubled?" Atemu shook his head. "Then what has?"

"The councillors think it's time for me to get married."

"What?" In her surprise, Mana let go of the branches and fell out of the tree. She landed on her buttocks on the ground and pulled a painful face while rubbing her backside.

"You alright?" asked Atemu, standing up and helping her back on her feet.

Mana pulled another painful face while pressing her hands against her back and stretching her muscles. "I guess I will survive." Then she leaned shocked closer to his face, which made him lean back a little. That was another thing she did quite often: invade your personal space. "Tell me I heard that wrong."

"What did you think you heard?"

"I think I heard you telling me that the councillors, who are complete morons, want you to get married."

"Preferred to some wealthy, snobby princess or lady with a high title to gain more money and more land. Yes, you heard that right."

"What?" yelled Mana again. "How can they even think about that? How do they get it in their thick heads…" She started to pace around. "They are complete idiots."

"Mana…"

"They can not make you do this."

"Mana…"

"I mean, you are the Pharaoh."

"Mana…"

"But still, forcing you to marry some brainless princess or snobby little lady that only cares for…"

"Mana!"

His friend stopped pacing around and glanced up at him with big innocent eyes. "Yes?"

"They want me to think about it. Nothing has been arranged yet."

"So that means you're not going to get married."

"I didn't say that." He signed and sat down on the stone bench again. "They think it's for the best of the people and the empire if I find myself a Queen."

Mana sat down beside him. "But you don't need a Queen. You're doing fine as you're right now. And you still have many many years to live. Why do they suddenly want you to marry so badly?"

"I've already been Pharaoh for four years. It's uncommon for a Pharaoh to stay unmarried for so long. The first thing he should do, when crowned, is to find a proper woman, marry her and make sure there come heirs."

"Oh! Adorable little versions of you! Cute!"

Atemu gave her an annoyed look. "Mana."

She gave him a sheepishly smile. "Sorry." He rolled his eyes. "So what do you think?"

"About marrying? You know that I don't want to marry yet."

"Yes, I know that. But do you think that it is for the best of the people and the empire if you found a Queen?"

Atemu glanced around the gardens. "Maybe. I don't know. I never really thought about it."

"Then think about it."

"It is not that easy, okay? Yes, I do admit that the idea of having a woman around here who looks after the household and everything would be a burden off my shoulders –" He glanced around again. "– a woman who would look after the gardens again –"

"They do need the right woman's touch."

"– but this is marriage we are talking about. MY marriage." He signed, looking tired once again. "I don't know. I just don't know. The whole idea to marry frightens me a little."

"Huh?" Mana gave him a confused look. "But you're fearless! You've fight hundreds of battles, defeated our enemies countless times and threw yourself into battle without thinking twice."

Atemu snorted. "I prefer fighting off our enemies and going to war then getting married."

"But why?"

"I…" He stopped, thinking about it, before shaking his head. "I don't know. I just do."

"OPEN THE GATES!" was suddenly yelled. "NOW!"

Atemu stood up, frowning. Mana followed his example, she was looking rather worried. "What's going on?"

"That's what we will have to find out."

He turned around and walked back inside, his purple cape floating after him. Mana followed him in a trot. Back in the throne room, more people were already gathered and were talking in worried and shushed voices to each other. They fell silent when he entered and bowed when he passed them.

They stood up again when he had taken his seat in his throne again and he looked at them with worried eyes. "What's going on?"

"We do not know, my Pharaoh," said Isis. She was the only Priestess that he had and she was Guardian of the Millennium Necklace.

The doors of the throne room went open again and one of the leading generals in Atemu's army walked in, together with two other soldiers. Everyone made way for him. When he reached the steps that led to Atemu's throne, he and the two soldiers stopped and bowed. "Your Highness."

"Stand." The three rose to their feet again. "What news do you bring?"

"A large army has crossed our southern borders."

"Impossible," said Hakizimana, one of the councillors. He was in charge when Shimon wasn't around. "No one can get through our defences."

Atemu raised a hand and silenced him by doing so. "Go on."

"Anubis is leading the army." Atemu's eyes narrowed when hearing that name. "We will set up defences around the Palace immediately," continued the general.

"No." Atemu rose up. "Rather send your troops to protect the people. Anubis will come here to get his revenge, with or without your protecting troops. And before he reaches these walls, he will destroy every village and city that comes in his way and kill every man, woman and child."

The general bowed. "As you wish, Sire."

"Hakizimana," said Atemu, while walking down the stairs.

"Yes, Your Highness?"

"Deliver contraception notices throughout all the provinces. Call up reserves and as many as new recruits as possible."

"Forgive me, Your Majesty," said the general. "But I believe my troops can stop him."

"None other then the Pharaoh himself has succeeded this far into stopping Anubis," said Seth. He was also one of Atemu's Priests and Guardian of the Millennium Rod.

"I will not be taking any chances," said Atemu. "And I will not be waiting for Anubis to come to me."

"Your Majesty!" yelped several voices.

But Atemu paid no head. "I will train these new recruits myself."

"But, Sire…"

"That's my final word in this," interrupted Atemu. "One man can make the difference. One man can make the decision between victory and defeat. And I will make sure that if that one man will be one of the new recruits, that he will be trained like I want him to be."

So this was the first chapter.

Please let me know what you think so please review. I love those things.

And special thanks to my sweet little neighbour, Jasmine, who brought this idea in my head.

I will try to update Wednesday.

XxX Emmetje