Thanks to everyone who read the last chapter, and an extra thanks who took the time to review! Yet again I'm updating when I should be studying. I'll probably never learn. Anyways, I really not sure how much I like this chapter. I really wanted to just skip to the marriage but I knew I'd be leaving out way too much information, including two important incidents that will be at the end of this chapter. So, you'll just have to wait for the Seto and Ryou to meet and their marriage until the next chapter.
Just a little note about the usage of Prince Seto and Prince Kaiba, people associated with Kaiba call him Prince Seto, those connected to other kingdoms call him Kaiba.
Completion
Chapter 2: The Past is Another Land (1)
"Your father left this country a mess," Akhenaden muttered as he scanned yet another report. The brown haired prince barely glanced at his chief advisor, shifting through his own stack of papers. The harvest this year had not been large enough to meet demand and people in the outlaying rural villages were already beginning to starve. Years of abuse by nobles didn't help the situation. It was as if the entire nation was holding their breath, waiting to see if Seto would make a better king than his father.
"And we still have your marriage, coronation, and Princess Ryou's coronation to plan."
"I'll leave that to you," Seto said, scanning a report from Roland on the state of the military. He had more important things to worry about than a few ceremonies.
Akhenaden bowed his head in acknowledgement. "Then, my prince, you will have no problem if we have your marriage first and combine your coronation with Princess Ryou's?"
That got Seto to look up. "She'll be here in time for the coronation?"
Akhenaden nodded. "Yes, her birthday is in two days. In three she will be leaving Kul Elna."
The prince leaned back in his chair, taking a moment to think. "Yes, let's do that. We'll only have to have one welcome feast and one farewell feast for the visiting nobles that way. I trust you can organize everything in time."
"Of course, my prince. If you'll excuse me the invitations must be sent out immediately."
Seto dismissed him with a wave of his hand before going back to the reports. 'And the problems just keep piling up.'
/
Ryou could tell she was unsuccessful at hiding her emotions by the look on Mai's face, but after her birthday/farewell party she was just too taxed to hide them anymore. Her handmaid tapped her foot lightly, staring down at the princess, but finally sighed, shoulders drooping. "Well, at least it's over now," she muttered, steering Ryou to sit in front of her makeup table, before picking up a brush, running to through the thick white locks.
"It wasn't that bad, Mai. I'm just sad to be leaving," the white haired princess said.
Mai just made a 'tsk'ing noise with her tongue. Ryou had been surrounded by people from Kaiba since her birth: tutors, servants, even Mai herself, to the point where the nobles of Kul Elna saw her as a foreigner. That didn't mean they didn't love her, but they wouldn't be too sorry to see her leave, well, at least until they had to deal with an angry Bakura.
Mai knew things would be the same when they arrived at Kaiba. Ryou would have to fight to prove herself if she ever wanted the people of Kaiba to accept her, let alone if she wanted Prince Seto to accept her. Mai gave a mental shake of her head at the thought of the prince. 'If he's anything like he was when I left Ryou might not even have the patience to deal with him.'
Ryou, who had been staring into the mirror, spun around quickly, forcing Mai to pull her arm back suddenly or hit the princess. "Bakura!"
Mai turned to see that the white haired king was standing in the doorway. Mai gave a small curtsy before quickly exiting through the servant's entrance. If Ryou needed her she would still be nearby, but this was one time when her charge had no need of her.
Once Mai left Bakura moved forward, grabbing his sister's hand and leading her onto the balcony. They stood there in silence, Ryou taking in the view she had known all her life, the view she would probably never see again. Across the river people laughed and danced, all celebrating her birthday, although Ryou knew they were more likely to be celebrating the free ale and mutton that was given out in her honor.
The smile she had kept in place all night had finally vanished. She fought hard to blink back her tears but they came anyway. Bakura looked over when he heard her soft sniffles to see her shoulders shaking with sobs. He patted her back awkwardly, to which Ryou's response was to launch herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and burying her face in his chest. Bakura stood stunned for a moment before he returned her embrace. He stood there uncomfortably while Ryou cried, not knowing what else to do. He had never been good at comforting people.
"Sorry," Ryou murmured a few minutes later as she pushed away from her brother.
Bakura placed a hand on her head, messing up her hair, a favorite pastime of his. He sighed when all Ryou did was stiffen her shoulders. "You're no fun when you don't complain."
The white haired princess simply smiled sadly at him. "Well, you can always annoy the advisors once I'm gone." Bakura's face broke into an evil grin. Ryou just shook her head. She really didn't want to know what her brother had planned. "Just don't destroy the palace, please."
Bakura huffed. "No. Fun."
Ryou laughed softly, shaking her head again. "Goodnight, Bakura."
Bakura looked at her for a moment before messing up her hair yet again. "Bakura!"
But he had already turned away, his deep laughter ringing in Ryou's ears. And then he said the words he said every time he left. "Get some rest, Ryou."
/
She had not cried that morning when she gave her formal goodbyes. All her tears had been spent last night. Still, Ryou felt her heart break when Malik helped her onto her horse. She only looked over her shoulder once, meeting her brother's gaze. For the first time since the plague struck twelve years ago they would be separated, but last night's conversation had let them come to some sort of acceptance, one that only they understood. Ryou was the first to look away. She was to be Queen of Kaiba; she could not hold onto her past.
/
"Thank Set," Malik groaned, calling upon Yami's patron god. The river that created the border between Kul Elna and Kaiba had finally come into view. "Ryou, you have to be the only person in the Seven Kingdoms that I would ride this beast for the entire way," he said, gesturing to his horse which turned its head to glare at him.
"You could have just ridden in the carriage," Mai commented. Malik glared at the woman before choosing to ignore her. The two had never gotten along well but they did try to put their differences aside for Ryou's sake.
"I don't think anything is wrong with your horse, Malik," Ryou commented, stretching out her hand to pat the animal's neck. "Besides, we'll be changing horses once we cross the river."
Malik groaned and Mai smirked. When one of the guards snorted, unable to hold back his laughter, Malik glared at him, opening his mouth to yell at him, but was interrupted by the Captain calling a halt. "What is it?" Malik asked, the young guard being spared his wrath.
The Captain pointed to mounted figures coming toward them. "The river guards are coming to meet us. They'll escort us the rest of the way."
Malik looked up into the sky. "We're making good time. We should be able to cross the river today and camp on the other side." Next to him Ryou tensed slightly. Malik smirked at her, reaching out to take her hand, giving it a light squeeze. Ryou's head snapped up, quickly throwing a reassuring smile at the Yami Prince.
The escort finally reached them allowing Ryou's party to see that it was made up of guards from both Kul Elna and Kaiba. Everyone suddenly became very formal. After the Guard Captain in charge of the Kaiba escort introduced himself as Rafael the two parties merged, riding the rest of the way in silence.
It only took about fifteen minutes before Ryou was staring at the river and the ship that would transport her to the other side. The river was three leagues (2) wide, pristine blue waters supporting life for people on both sides of the shore all along its length. The ship Prince Kaiba had sent was magnificent. She had never been on a boat before, but she knew this one was much grander than needed for a simple crossing.
"They're not holding back." Ryou looked down to see Malik holding his arms out to her offering to help her off her horse. She slipped off the horse with Malik's help, landing gently on the ground.
"What do you mean?"
Malik jerked his chin toward the ship. "That is the Blue Eyes, one of Kaiba's flag ships."
"But isn't that a warship? How did they get it up the river?"
"The White Dragon and Obelisk the Tormentor were built for sea battle, my lady. The Blue Eyes was build to protect Kaiba's interest in the river." Rafael stood right behind the two royals, having walked over after conferring with the ship's captain. "We will be leaving as soon as the weddings gifts and your luggage have been taken aboard."
"Thank you, Captain," Ryou said meekly. There was just something about Rafael that she found very intimidating.
"Don't touch that, you fools! You'll get it dirty! I haven't spent two years making that dress just so you could ruin it a week before Princess Ryou has to wear it!"
Malik, Ryou, and Rafael all blinked, startled by Mai's shouts. Malik finally just shook his head and sighed. "Ryou, you want to take care of that? I swear Mai is just as protective of that wedding dress as she is of you."
Ryou smiled but otherwise didn't respond before walking over to calm her maid.
/
Malik looked over the supplies with a frown. Some people may have considered him as eccentric as his brother, but when it came to protecting the people he loved he was not to be messed with.
"Prince Malik, is there something wrong?"
The blond turned to the Kul Elna Captain who stood a few feet behind him. "How many barrels of wine did we leave the capital with?"
"Seven, Prince Malik."
"Then why do we now have eight?"
Without skipping a beat the Captain stepped forward, gesturing two other guards to him with a wave. "We'll have to crack them open, Prince."
"Do it. We can reseal them if you don't damage the barrels; if you do then Prince Kaiba will just have to understand that it was for his bride's safety."
The three nodded before they set to work. They opened seven barrels quickly, but the Captain paused, staring down into the liquid of the eighth when he opened it. "Prince Malik, you're going to want to see this."
The Prince covered the distance quickly, joining the captain. "Is that..?"
"Liquid fire," the Captain finished.
'There's no one who would be stupid enough to put liquid fire on this ship on purpose. If it goes off everyone on this ship would be dead. They either wanted to take this chance to destroy the Blue Eyes…or to kill Ryou.'
"Captain, have your men and the escort from Kaiba get rid of this quickly. Then have all the supplies checked again. See if you can find out who brought it aboard, but whatever you do don't let Princess Ryou know about it. She already has enough to worry about without this as well."
The Captain and his men nodded before quickly carrying out Malik's orders.
'That was too close. If I hadn't checked these barrels this ship would have been destroyed. Yami and Kul Elna will go to war with Kaiba for certain if Ryou and I were killed on this trip.'
/
Mai studied Malik as they finally pushed off. There had been somewhat of a delay but Malik had just passed it off as everyone being overly cautious. Ryou accepted his explanation without question, but Mai was not so sure. Malik may have been laughing with Ryou but his shoulders were tense and his eyes flicked at every little movement.
The Captain walked over, leaning down to whisper to Malik. Ryou walked away from the two, staring over the rail into the waters. She knew when a conversation was not meant for her ears. After a moment the Captain walked away, leaving Malik by himself. Before he could move forward to rejoin Ryou Mai walked briskly up to him.
"What's going on?" she demanded. Because of her relationship with Ryou she could get away without treating Malik so formally, although only in private.
Malik glared at her. "What do you mean, handmaid?" It was a subtle way to tell her it was none of her business but Mai would not be deterred.
"Look here, Prince, I look out for Ryou just as much as you do. If there's something that is important to her safety then you need to tell me."
Malik continued to glare at her, but he knew Mai was right. In fact, because she was Ryou's handmaid she was allowed to be closer to Ryou than he was. She was the best person to look for danger close to Ryou. "Someone snuck liquid fire onto the ship."
"What!" she hissed.
'At least she has the sense of mind to keep her voice down,' Malik thought, although he didn't look at the maid. There was no way after that incident that Malik would take his eyes off of Ryou while they were on this ship. "Don't let Ryou know."
After a moment Mai nodded. "No, definitely not."
/
The sun had just set when they landed, guards grabbing torches as they led Ryou to the small cottage that had been prepared for her. "I know it's not the best accommodations," Rafael said as he opened the door, "but it's the best we can do so late."
Ryou gave him a nervous smile. "It's all right, Captain. This'll be just fine."
Rafael gave a quick nod. "If you excuse me, Princess, I must see to the rest of the escort. We will unload the ship at dawn and continue to Kaiba after that."
Ryou watched as he walked away for a moment. 'There's something about him that I just can't seem to put my finger on.'
"Ryou, you should get some rest. We'll be traveling fast in order to get to Kaiba on time."
Ryou nodded to her maid. "Of course, Mai." But no sooner had she taken three steps into the cottage than the sound of a girl crying reached her ears.
"Please! I didn't mean to!"
Mai knew what would happen as soon as she saw Ryou's face. People underestimated her all the time because of her kind demeanor. They never realized until too late that Ryou could be fierce when she needed to be.
Without pausing Ryou spun on her heel exiting the cottage. She followed the cries until she came upon a young girl on her knees, a Kaiba guard towering above her. As he raised his hand to hit the girl Ryou rushed forward, dropping down to embrace the girl. "What do you think you're doing?"
The guard stared down at the Princess in horror, having just stopped his hand short of hitting her. "My lady, this girl was supposed to bring your dinner to you but decided to spill it all over me instead."
"So you hit her? It was an accident!"
"My lady…"
"Get out of my sight."
"But, my lady!"
"I believe Princess Ryou told you to leave." The guard whirled around to be faced with Prince Malik, the blond's look clearly telling him that if he did not obey he would not like the consequences.
After he left Ryou slowly pulled back from the girl. "Are you all right?"
The blonde haired girl stared up at her with large blue eyes. "Why'd you do that?"
"Because he was hurting you," Ryou answered almost as if she didn't understand the question.
"But you're a royal!" the girl retorted. "You're not supposed to care what happens to me!"
It was then that Malik saw it, the soft smile that Ryou rarely showed but could put anyone at ease. "It is because I am royal that I care." The white haired princess stood, brushing off her skirts. She then held out a hand to the girl to help her up. "What's your name?"
The girl hesitated for a moment before accepting the princess' help. "Rebecca, my lady."
"Where's your home, Rebecca?"
Rebecca looked at the ground, kicking a rock with her foot. "It's the cottage you're staying at," she mumbled, clearly hoping that Ryou wouldn't hear, but the princess did, and she didn't look happy.
"Then where are you staying tonight?"
Rebecca continued to kick at the ground. "In the ship, my lady."
"They made your whole family leave their home so that I could stay there?" Ryou sounded angry, but it was obvious that it wasn't directed at Rebecca.
The small girl just shook her head. "It's just me, Princess Ryou."
Ryou's bearing immediately softened. "I'm so sorry, Rebecca."
Rebecca just shook her head again. "Nothin' to be sorry 'bout," she said, although she sounded near tears.
"Come on," Ryou said, holding her hand out to the girl. Rebecca looked up at it as if it was something completely foreign. "There's more than enough room for all of us." Rebecca hesitantly slipped her hand into Ryou's, letting the older woman lead her away.
Malik sighed, shaking his head. "Ryou," he muttered, "this is why it's so hard to protect you."
/
Valon had ridden hard for two days to reach the capital. Rafael had sent him to tell Prince Seto what had happened on the river. When he reached the castle Akhenaden had him brought into Prince Seto's private office almost immediately. He made his report, answered Akhenaden's questions, and was quickly dismissed. As soon as he left the room he went to find Alister. He needed to let the other man know that their first plan had been a failure.
/
As soon as the messenger left Akhenaden turned to Seto. "What do you think, my Prince?"
Seto was quiet for a moment before he looked up at his advisor. "We'll need to tighten security when Princess Ryou gets here."
Akhenaden nodded. "Of course, but I meant about her protecting that peasant child."
The Prince's smirk was cold. "It'll definitely earn her favor with the commoners." He took a moment to lean back in his chair before addressing his advisor again. "What do you think?"
"I can't tell if she did it because she's clever, or because that is what she really believes. We'll just have to wait and see."
Seto nodded although he hated having any unknown factors in his game, and Ryou had just become an unknown factor. 'Just what are you, Princess Ryou?'
/
…That was a long chapter. Well, hopefully you enjoyed it. I'm going to bed now. I really need to stop writing fanfiction right before bed, it's going to become a bad habit.
1. This is the song title from the musical Aida. No, I do not own that either.
2. A league is about 3 miles, 4.8 kilometers. A nautical league, which was the one used in this chapter, is about 3.5 miles, 5.6 kilometers.