Once Atem had fallen asleep, Yugi made sure to cast a small healing spell over him, hoping it would help somewhat. He spent some time reading about curses in one of his books but couldn't find anything on the magnitude of the curse on Atem. He didn't even know of any curses like that where the effects could still carry over even when the person was transformed back into a human. It seemed that he managed to get Atem back as a human, but he still had some abilities of a dragon. What would really help would be Atem remembering how this happened to him. It seemed that it was going to be much more complicated than that. He watched as a ray of sunlight from the window shone over some of Atem's face. A smile crossed his face to see how peaceful he looked. He deserved so much better than this.
A series of knocks at the door tore him away from the concentration he had on the book of curses. He rolled his eyes, knowing exactly who it was.
"What do you want? Haven't you done enough?" Yugi said, folding his arms and blocking the doorway as soon as he opened the door.
"Look, I'm sorry or whatever it is you want me to say. I'm hoping when he wakes up he'll be less of a sorry sack of shit and be more willing to listen. Since you're involved with all this as well, I want to talk to the two of you about what should be done next. So, when he wakes up, meet me in the main town square." Seto didn't give Yugi much of a chance to say anything else and walked off right after he was done talking.
"Fine, bye I guess."
Once he was back in the peace and quiet of the house, he went back to his book. His grandpa had started making some stew, and it the wonderful smells coming from the pot put a smile on his face. He hoped maybe eating something would help Atem gain some strength back.
"Any ideas on how he ended up as a dragon?" Solomon asked as he stirred the stew a few times.
"I really have no idea. We're so up north that I have no clue on what goes on in the south. I've never even been there before. He did say he was a prince. It's possible that it was some plot against him so he couldn't take the throne, but that's just a theory after all..more of a guess really."
Yugi didn't know the first thing about royals and all that they went through besides the kings of the north being stingy assholes. When the calamity befell their town by the mountains, the nearby kings did mostly nothing to help them. They sent some food caches over to them, but that was about it. They sat up in their lonely towers as the snow raged outside, sitting by their huge hearths where they never had to worry about even a single shiver. Here, Yugi and his grandpa had to gather all the lumber they could to keep their modest house warm enough to keep out the cold of winter. Yugi remembered some mornings after a nasty blizzard he would sometimes find people in the alleys or right out in the open frozen to death because they couldn't find shelter in time. He wasn't sure if the kingdoms in the south had similar problems besides the whole cold thing. Who knows? Maybe the kings were nicer down there. Atem certainly seemed nice enough.
About an hour later, Atem began to stir in the cot, making Yugi close his book and walk over to him. He checked his temperature with a hand to his forehead and breathed a sigh of relief. His temperature felt normal which meant he didn't have a fever. What was strange was how warm his torso felt. There was definitely a heat source of some kind emanating from there. It must've had to do with the fact that he breathed fire a little while ago.
"Yugi?" Atem mumbled, slowly opening his eyes to see the other's face in close proximity to his own.
"O-oh! Sorry, haha, my grandpa made some stew if you want something to eat," Yugi stammered, immediately backing away to give him space. His entire face went hot as a red blush overtook his pale skin. Atem probably already thought he was some weird magician.
"It's not a problem. I know my handsomeness is quite eye catching," he said with a weak chuckle and a sly wink. "And I would love some stew. I can't remember the last time I ate something..as a human that is."
"You sly little.." Yugi thought to himself but managed to smile brightly at Atem. "Great! I'll get you a bowl. You just wait right here."
Yugi could still feel his cheeks burning even after he turned away to scoop some of the stew into a bowl. He certainly was a charmer that was for sure.
"Fine, two can play at that game," Yugi mumbled.
"What was that, Yugi?" Solomon asked from his rocking chair.
"N-nothing, nothing."
Just like that, the blush was already back, but he put his concentration into a spell. He used a simple levitation spell to make the bowl of stew float and had it float through the air over to Atem, settling right into his hands.
"Impressive," Atem hummed and immediately started to eat it. Yugi blinked as he had gobbled up all of the stew in the bowl in less than a minute.
"Uh, would you like some more? I didn't realize how hungry you really were." Yugi took the bowl from him and gave him another helping of the stew when he nodded.
"If you don't mind. I don't want to be the one eating all of it."
"Oh, it's fine. Grandpa and I already ate, and there's plenty left over."
Atem ate about three more bowls before he was satisfyingly full. He patted his stomach in bliss. Yugi couldn't help but chuckle when a puff of smoke came out of his mouth when he burped, and he quickly slapped a hand over his mouth in surprise.
"Don't worry. I'm starting to get used to your 'dragon powers' or whatever you want to call them. I think they're really cool. You know, coming from my being a magician and what not," Yugi said. He cast a tiny light spell and moved the twinkling orb of light around his fingers.
"Hmm, magicians like yourself are quite common in the south. They put on great shows and provide healing for people. From what I know of the north, they aren't as common. Many are seen as witches and sorcerers and hunted down. Is that true here? You seem rather open about being able to use magic," Atem asked with a curious look on his face.
"Yeah, most of that is true. It's fine for me since I'm in a pretty small town. You'd think it would be the opposite, but it's really not. If anything, magicians are at more risk of getting attacked, killed, or captured if they live near the main northern kingdoms where most of the hunters are. I'm actually safer in this town especially since the calamity since not many visit here. The people here know me and trust me since I've helped many here by using magic. They're not afraid of me, but yeah, if I did venture out to one of the kingdoms, I would definitely be in danger. That's why I don't plan to leave this place."
"Aren't you curious of the world outside of this town? I'm guessing you've never been to the south, probably just read about it. It's a beautiful place, and eventually I'm going to have to leave this town to get back to my own home. Will you stay here while I do that?"
"I am curious, sure, but is it really worth putting my life at risk? There are some hunters out there that can practically smell magic. There's no way I can hide from that. I'll help you out as much as I can, but I can't leave this place." Yugi gulped before placing his hand on top of Atem's. He could feel his cheeks turning hot again as he gave the other hand a squeeze. "I can't really explain it..but there's this strong feeling in me saying that I should protect you, so..I guess we'll see what happens, but I'm not planning for sure to leave, but if I have to, then I guess I won't have a choice."
"Do not worry. We'll figure all this out. The last thing I want to do is put you in danger. You are the one that saved me after all." Atem's smile was warm and inviting. He flipped his hand over so he could properly hold Yugi's hand. "Pardon me if this is too forward of me to say, but I feel as though I've known you for a long time. Perhaps we knew each other in a past life if you believe in that."
"You know, I feel something similar. You might be right about the whole past life thing. I can't say for sure, but there definitely is something about you that I'm drawn to. Can't really explain it though," Yugi chuckled, giving his hand another squeeze.
"There is nothing more that needs to be said." He smiled warmly and groaned a bit as he stretched his limbs out.
"Oh, right! Seto wanted us to meet him in the town square once you woke up. I guess we might as well go over there. If we don't, he's just going to come back here and bug me. Oh and here. I have some better clothes for you since the tunic you're wearing is all burnt up." Yugi went over to a dresser and pulled out some pants and a short tunic with the collar lined with fur. "These will help keep you warm too. It's still only late summer, but the winds from the mountains are still frigid, and it'll only get colder once autumn comes around." Yugi handed Atem the dark pants along with the dark green tunic. "I'll give you some privacy. You can come out when you're done changing."
Yugi gave a polite wave and headed out into the main living room, closing the bedroom door behind him. About ten minutes later, Atem emerged from the bedroom donning the new outfit. The pants hugged his legs tightly but provided a warm layer to keep them nice and toasty. The end of sleeves of the short tunic had a hole for his thumbs so his hands were slightly covered. The collar descended down in a shallow V lined with a bit of fox fur.
"Thank you for the clothes. I definitely needed some new ones."
"Wow, you look good in the northern fashions..not that you didn't look good in your long tunic without pants and stuff. You just look good in anything is all I'm saying!" Yugi stopped himself before he could blab on further, ending it with a nervous chuckle.
"Why, thank you, and I'm sure you'd look great in the southern fashions yourself," Atem said with another wink. "Well, lead the way to the town square. I'm curious to know just what that knight wants. I'm feeling a bit more confident now with food in my stomach, but my body still feels strange. It's like..I look like a human, but I don't feel altogether..human I guess."
"I was reading a book on curses that said that that can be a common thing when someone gets turned back into their original form. They carry elements of the last one, but I couldn't find anything on people getting turned into dragons. Whoever did this to you must be a very powerful sorcerer." Yugi lead the way once they were outside. The sun still shone brightly, and the town was still very busy with people going to and fro. Some noticed Atem and stared while others were too busy to notice.
"Indeed. I'm curious myself."
It was easy to spot Seto since he was still in his armor leaning up against a large post in the middle of the square. He stood completely upright once he noticed Yugi and Atem.
"Wow, you two are nearly a perfect match both in hair and height," Seto sneered, towering over them.
"We may be short but you have me, a magician, and Atem who has fire breath and probably other abilities that he hasn't discovered yet, so I'd be careful with the snide remarks," Yugi said, sticking his tongue out in a defiant manner.
"Hmph, whatever, magic nerd. Now that his highness is awake. I have a proposition for the both of you."
Yugi kept Atem behind him slightly. He didn't trust Seto at all, but they could at least hear him out. Maybe his plan could help them with getting Atem back to his home and recalling some of his memories.
"You see, I am the rightful heir to a kingdom to the west from here still by the mountains. I beat my adopted father in a duel, so he's out of the picture. My uncle serves as regent of the kingdom until I'm deemed worthy to take the throne. The people of my kingdom suffer greatly from curses and dark magic. These sorcerers hide up in the mountains, and I'm sure you can guess what's also in those mountains: dragons. One of my ultimate goals is to bring strength to my kingdom once again as their champion. That's why I've travelled far and wide to fight different kinds of great beasts. Ultimately, I want to rid the mountains of the dragons and find the sorcerers and make my people well again. I think you two could be of use to me, and we could start negotiations with other northern kingdoms to stop the witch hunts and only hunt down ones that use dark magic. How does that sound, little witch? Any questions?"
"I'm not a witch," Yugi huffed but considered all that he said. "Will Atem and I be guaranteed protection from any hunters or anyone wanting to do us harm?"
"You'll both have my protection. As long as you're with me, any hunter would be a fool to go after either of you. They'll lose a limb for just trying to do so. Now, if you're as smart as I think you are, you'll accept my offer. I'm sure it won't be long until word spreads of the terrifying dragon who crash landed here turning into a human. Soon, this place will be swarming with hunters and other filth. So, what's your answer?" It seemed that Seto's patience was growing thin as he started to tap his finger against his arm.
"Hold on! This is a lot to think about. I've never travelled outside of this town before."
"Tough luck. You have ten seconds." Seto began to count down his glare growing more irritated.
"Alright, alright! We'll accept your offer." Yugi bit down on his bottom lip, not even getting a chance to think about all this. He felt Atem's hand meet his and intertwine their fingers together. It was that little gesture of comfort that was keeping Yugi from losing it, and oh, he could easily lose it on Seto. He could cast every nasty spell he knew, but he knew better. He wasn't like the witches of the mountains. For now, him and Atem had to trust in each other if they were going to survive.