Here's chapter three. Please enjoy and review.
Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh.
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Chapter 3: Once upon a time...
Yugi was running through the halls. He just finish an errand for his master and was heading back.
Yugi was still scared of Atem and Yukika, but he felt a little bit comfortable around them. He still had his defenses up as he was gradually trusts them. He had to admit they were nice. He wanted to get close to them.
Suddenly, while deep in thought, he bumped into someone and fell to the ground. He looked up to Seto and all the other priests except Dair. He began to tremble.
"Oh Yugi, are you okay?" asked Isis.
"Y-Yes, Priestess. I'm sorry for bumping into you, Priest Seto. I-I wasn't paying attention. Please forgive me," Yugi answered.
"It's fine, Yugi," Seto told him.
"Man, this reminds me of the queen in her days of a servant," Bakura said to Marik.
"Q-Queen Yukika was a servant? I thought she had to be a princess to marry the pharaoh," said Yugi hesitantly.
"Yes Yugi, let's tell you about your mistress," Mahaad said.
As they told the story to the young servant, they remembered it all clearly:
'"Pharaoh, we have bought you a new slave," said one of guards after he did what he was order to do: find a new slave or servant and buy him or her.
"Thank you. Tell me everything the previous master told you that made you buy him or her," Atem said.
"The slave is a beautiful girl. She looks like a loyal one. Her master I bought her from said that one of her masters taught her to defend her masters. I felt that she was safe and could protect you when you needed it," explained the guard.
"She sounds like a good choice. Bring her in," Atem ordered.
"Yes, my Pharaoh."
The guard left and he returned with a girl whose wrists were chained together like a prisoner.
The girl was very beautiful. She looked like she wasn't from Egypt. She had midnight blue hair, blue eyes that were looking at the ground, pale skin, and a fair figure. What bother the young king was the chains on her wrists, the fresh cut on her cheek, and blood on the rags they called clothes.
When the guard stopped, the girl fell to her knees in respect.
"Why are there chains on her wrists?" asked the pharaoh.
"She was like that when she was delivered to me after I bought her," the guard answered
"Tell me your name and age," Atem ordered.
"Y-Yukika. I'm fifteen," she answered softly.
"Well then, Yukika, from now on, you will be my personal servant. Guard, take off those chains. Isis, tend to her for any wounds from her last master and dress in her new clothes," Atem said.
The orders were carried out. Now that Atem thought about when he said that she would be his personal servant, he noticed that she was shaking.
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When Pharaoh Atem reached his room, there stood his new personal servant, Yukika. She was dressed in the clothes that show that she was only his servant.
When Yukika show the pharaoh walked in, she kneeled down to the ground.
"Stand up, Yukika, and look at me," he ordered. She obeyed. Atem was able to see her sparkling, yet frighten eyes.
"Welcome to the palace."
"T-Thank you," Yukika said shakily.
"Your room is behind that door over there. You should be comfortable. Your job is basically to do as I say. Today I would like you to rest. Tomorrow, you will be by my side until I order otherwise," Atem said.
"Y-Yes M-Master," she said.
"Now you can go to your room and rest. Food will come soon."
With a bow, Yukika went into her room. She was surprised that had a bed. When she laid down on it, she found that it strangely warm and comfy. She relaxed until food came.
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That night, Atem heard something from Yukika's room. He peeked inside. Yukika was tossing in her bed. She was sweating and teary-eyed as she suffered from a nightmare. Atem felt helpless as he watch her.
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The next day, Yukika followed Atem to the throne.
"Morning cousin, priests," greeted the pharaoh.
"Morning, how's the new servant?" asked Seto.
"I think she's okay," Atem answered, "Yukika, these are the priests, my cousin, Seto; Bakura; Marik; the top magician/wise man Mahaad; head healer, Isis; and Dair."
The servant girl looked up to see who was who, but Dair slapped her across the face hard. She fell to the floor from the force.
"Don't look at our faces, especially the pharaoh's!" he yelled.
"Dair! What do you think you're doing? She's my personal servant. So I can punish her if I see it is fit for her actions. She looked up to see who you were as I introduced you. You had no right to slap her, and frankly, I would like her to look at our faces than be staring at the ground like it's the most interesting thing in the world," the pharaoh lectured. Then he turned to the fallen girl. She was trembling, still laying on the ground where she landed.
"Yukika," he called. She responded by lifting her head a little, but her face was hidden.
"I-I'm sorry. Please, forgive me. I didn't mean to look at your faces," she said hashily.
"Yukika, you're not in trouble. Stand up," Atem said as he helped her on her feet.
"I'm sorry," she apologized again.
"Don't be. You're fine. Now look at me."
Yukika looked up at him. He could see a bruise forming on her cheek. He gently touched it. She showed no pain from the touch.
"Come, you must sit at my right and remain there until I say so," he told her.
"Yes, Master."
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"Get up, slave!" ordered a nobleman who was walking in the halls. He had tripped Yukika and was now kicking her, despite seeing the clothes of the pharaoh's personal servant. The nobleman pulled out a personal whip from his belt.
"Hey!" a bold male voice yelled.
"Don't get in my way!" the man said, swinging the whip to the person without seeing him. Yukika saw the person. She jump up and ran to him.
"Master, watch out!" she cried. The servant girl pushed back Atem and took the whip strike for him. Since this man acted against her master, her instincts reacted. In amazing speed, she reached and push a point at his neck. The man became unconscious.
"What did you do?" Atem asked curiously.
"I hit a pressure point, Master. He'll wake-up in a few hours," Yukika explained.
"When he does, he will be punish for harming my personal servant. Come on, let's take you to Isis to take a look at that," he added.
The pharaoh led her to the healing chambers where Isis helped her. This time, Atem saw her back was covered in scars from whips. Afterwards he took her to his room.
"Yukika, I want to talk to you about what to did to that nobleman," he said.
"Did I do something wrong?" she asked a little nervous.
"No, I was just wondering how do you know how to do that," said Atem.
"My first master taught me. He was my master for the first eight years of my life. He was like a father to me," answered the servant.
"A father?"
"Yes, you see, I came from another land. There, my father was my master's most trusted servant and my mother was a slave to the same master. They fell in love and Master allowed it. He's sort of a romantic. Soon, my mother was pregnant with me. Everything was going well, until my father died from protecting his master. Then my mother died from child labor.
"In respect of them, Master raised me. He was quite different than others. He was sweet and kind. He cared about all his servants and slaves. He work by their sides and never harmed them.
"I was a daughter/servant to him. He taught me that I should always protect my current master no matter what and that masters who wrongly beat their slaves are lowers than them. He always told me that no matter what I am a good girl.
"Then when I was eight, his crops keep dying for some odd reason and he needed money to keep his home and his slaves. He tried to find a good way to make but came to only one conclusion: sell a servant or a slave. All his servants and slaves were families and mistreated ones who need him. Everyone knew that I had to be sold. He tried to go around it, but I convinced him otherwise. He sold me unwillingly. He cried as held me the night before. The next day he put me on a slave ship where I could find hopefully a good master."
"But you didn't, do you?" asked the pharaoh, completely interesting in his servant's tale.
"For the next two years, I was sold constantly to other masters. No one was kind as my first. I was beated easily for no good reason, and I guess that why I'm so afraid a lot.
"When I turned ten, I was sold to Jordon, a nobleman. He was the cruelist master I ever had. He loved to torture me for fun. He choose me mostly because of I'm a foreigner to this land. He would beat me, whip me, throw things at me, and shout insults at me. I endured all of this for five years until I was sold to you as I am now," Yukika finished.
"Oh, I see. So you were taken from your father then in a way," Atem said, feeling bad for her as he stroke her back where her scars were at.
"Yes, besides him, you are the only master who is kind to me. I thank you for that," Yukika bowing her head to her master.
"Your welcome. I'm glad you can trust me. So don't be afraid of me punishing you wrongfully," the pharaoh said, "Oh, and you can call me 'Atem'."
"Thank you, A-Atem."
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"ATEM!"
There was an attack in the palace. The pharaoh was in danger. The priests were tied up. Yukika had been fighting them off until one got pass her. He raised his sword to pierce her master.
"No!" shouted Yukika. She ran and shielded Atem with her body. She was struck instead.
"Yukika!"
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Atem groaned. It's been days since his servant, his secret love, Yukika, got hurt saving him. Isis had been giving him daily reports on her health. She was still unconscious. The wound was gone, but she refused to wake.
The pharaoh was fustrated. He wanted to see her, but his duties were in the way.
"Pharaoh!" shouted Isis as she ran in the throne room.
"Isis! This is no time for a report on that lowly servant's health. The pharaoh has no time for that... "
"Silence Dair! Continue Isis," Atem interrupted Dair.
"It's your servant! Yukika is dying as we speak. Her body is failing because the shock of the wound," she said. Pharaoh Atem jumped up immediately and ran out of the throne room to the healing chambers. He ran inside to see a paler-than-usual Yukika.
"Yukika, wake-up! Don't die! Please don't die!" Atem shouted, shaking her body.
"Your highness, leave her be. She's just a servant. You can get a new one," Dair tried to reason with the king. Atem turned to him angrily.
"Yukika risked her life to save me. She's not just a servant who can be replaced. She's a human being who's life is precious. I love her!"
Dair shut up. The other priests knew that he was falling for her and was willing to admit at her death bed.
"M-Master?" they all heard. They look on the bed where the girl was finally waking up.
"Atem, is something wrong? Why are you shouting?" she asked weakly.
"Yukika, you're alive!"
Isis checked her and found that she wasn't going to die, thanks to the pharaoh. Atem coming to the chamber was all she needed to wake up.
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"Come on, Yukika. You deserve a reward. You saved my life," Atem said. He wanted his servant to be rewarded like time off or something, but she kept protesting.
"Atem, please. I don't care about any reward. My reward is that you are safe. That's all that matters to me. I really care about you, and I'm threw myself in front of that attack," the girl said.
"You nearly died!"
"So did my real father. Listen, though I was raise to protect my master no matter what, many slaves and servants will protect their masters because they care about them. I'm the same. You are a great kind master."
Atem pulled her into a hug. She blushed.
"I love you, Yukika. I was scared when I heard you were dying. I don't want you get to hurt again. I want you with me," he said softly.
"I really like you too, Atem, even love you. Yet, I'm a servant and you're a king. You must married a woman with a high status," said Yukika.
"Maybe I can help," Isis said as she and the priests came in. Yukika was startled and jumped out her master's arms.
"What is it?" Atem asked.
"I think I've found Yukika's family tree," she said.
"How is that possible? Being a servant, who would who my family is?" Yukika asked.
"I don't know. I found it. According to your family tree, your ancestor is a kidnapped member of the royal family in your land. She was taken from her home and forced to become a slave. Generations later came to Yukika," she explained.
"That's that Yukika is a princess in a way," Bakura concluded.
"So, Yukika is allow to court you and might even marry you," Seto added.
"Yukika?" Atem turned to the girl, "Would I have this honor of having you in courtship?"
"Yes, it will my honor," she answered with a red face.
"Now you are no longer my servant. You are free," Atem said as he hugged her.
"Then not that long afterwards, they married and they are how you see them," Seto finished.
"So, Mistress was really like me?" Yugi questioned.
"Yes, the queen knows how it feels. She doesn't want to fear her and her husband," Marik said.
"I'll try. Oh, I have to go my master and mistress will be wondering where I am," Yugi said, starting to run, "Thank you for telling me this. Bye!"
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Yugi reached his master's room and entered it.
"There you are, Yugi. We starting to get worried," the queen said as she and her husband were reading on their bed.
"I'm sorry, Mistress. I ran into the priests literally," he explained softly.
"Were you hurt?" asked Atem, thinking about Dair.
"No, they just talked to me. That's all," he answered.
"About what?"
"Um..." Yugi wasn't sure that he knew about Queen Yukika's past, but he couldn't lie.
"They told me about your past, Mistress."
"Oh, I see," Yukika responded.
"Yugi, come here," Atem ordered. The boy gulped as he went his master's side. The next thing he knew he was scooped up and placed on the bed between them.
"M-Master?"
"Now you see you can trust us. We won't hurt you ever," Atem said as he and Yukika smiled down at him.
"Yes, Y-Yami, Y-Yuki."
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Preview: Four more children come to the palace. What will become of them.