Chapter eight: A feast
This was quite ridiculous, Téa decided as she sat huddled outside her own tent with a blanket wrapped tightly around her in a vain attempt at protection from the rain. She was the future queen of Domino, the first human who would tame a dragon, the one who would restore her family's former glory, and take the filthy, half-breed family now corrupting her ancestor's throne down!
She should not have let herself be kicked out of her own tent by some stupid brat.
Never mind the fact that said brat was more than four-hundred years old, possessed magic, and was insane.
Rebecca had insisted on being the one to sleep in the tent, her argument being that "an old woman needs shelter more than a young lady such as Téa". Téa had quarrelled with her for a good fifteen minutes, saying that Rebecca was far from old anymore. But when the witch had suddenly transformed a fireball out of thin air and started twirling it threateningly between her fingers as they continued their heated discussion, Keith had practically begged Téa to let her have the tent.
It irked Téa that she was showing this kind of respect to someone who barely reached her to the waist.
She let her blue gaze swoop over the camp they had set up for the day: no tents, just a barely alive fireplace, surrounded by a bunch of figures in thick blankets. Everything looked grey and dull thanks to the thick coat of rain falling over them; drenching them to the bone. She frowned in disgust as she watched the shivering men sitting around her. According to Keith, these were the worst thugs in all of Domino. They were strong, useful and didn't mind the thought of a rebellion against the royal family. It was thanks to king Rabastan and his son and grandson that they were outcasts, after all.
But as Téa watched them rub their hands together and hold them out to the pathetic flames, and heard their grunts and displeased sounds, all she saw was a bunch of stupid pigs. Did they really have what it took to overpower and tame a dragon? When they had heard of the plan, most of them had laughed and bragged that they weren't afraid of any monster. But these were men who stole and murdered innocent, defenceless people. They weren't exactly the most courageous of men.
It almost made her thankful Rebecca had chosen to come with them.
Almost!
A cold drop of water made its way down her neck and back, and Téa shivered. Oh how she hated the nature! When she became queen, she'd never leave the castle again! She'd send other to do the duties in the country, and stay in her warm, dry room all day long with beautiful lovers and delicious food! She gave a wistful sigh and looked up at the sky dreamily.
This proved to be a mistake, because a large drop of water landed in her eye, and Téa gave a starlet yelp and tried to rub it away.
"Somethin' wrong, m'lady?" One of the men around her asked quickly. "Somethin' I can do fer ya?"
"Do you need another blanket, lady Téa?" Another interjected. "You can have mine if you want."
"Are ya cold? I can try to warm ya up."
"Perhaps if I-"
"Shut up, you bunch of retards!" Téa snapped and blinked rapidly to clear her vision again. "I got a drop of water in my eye! And even if it was more than that, I'm way out of your league!"
"Oh."
They stared dumbly at her, and Téa sighed in frustration and rose from the ground. For the first time, Keith, who had been sitting beside her, took his eyes of the slowly dying fire, and looked at her.
"Where are you going?" He asked when she threw her wet blanket at him.
"To check the maps and our route with Rebecca," Téa said. "And get out of this idiot-parade."
Then she turned and stomped into the tent, throwing the drape over the opening aside violently. One of the men, the one who had spoken first, turned to Keith.
"A real wildcat, that sister of yers."
Inside the tent, Téa glared furiously at the twelve-year-old witch currently lounging in the bed that should have been hers. The girl lay on her back, with her arms crossed under her head, and her left leg crossed over the right. She didn't even open her eyes as Téa stormed in; the image of comfort.
"What?" She asked in a bored tone.
Téa had to fight hard to keep her fury at bay. She couldn't afford to loose control now: they needed Rebecca, and she was quite keen on living. But it was very hard not to, when the girl was sleeping in her bed, and talking to her as if she was some common servant!
"I was thinking we should go over the maps once more, just to make sure we're heading in the right direction."
"I don't need a stupid map to find those dragons," Rebecca said. "My magic tells me where they are."
"I don't doubt your powers, but we are still days away from the forest, and I don't want us to get lost or delayed."
"Sounds to me like you're doubting my powers," Rebecca said and finally opened her eyes to look at Téa. "We are not going to get lost," she said. "We are heading in the right direction, and we're travelling as fast as we can with this much baggage and all those fools on our heels."
"Perhaps just a little peek to-"
"I don't need to peek on any stupid maps!" Rebecca was frowning now. "We had a deal. I find the dragons; you take them down. So please, let me do my part of the deal. Keep your nose out of it."
Téa was slightly taken aback and absolutely irate. But what could she do? She didn't dare upset the girl, and Rebecca was right: she didn't need any stupid maps. The only reason they had a map was because the thugs helping them had insisted on one; they didn't trust the witch's magic. As it was, Téa was left with no other choice but to turn around and walk back out into the rain.
But at the opening of the tent she changed her mind and turned back to Rebecca. One last try couldn't hurt. She really wanted to get away from the rain!
"I was thinking…" she said casually and moved back inside again. "We are stuck out here in the middle of nowhere. It's just you, me, and a bunch of unsophisticated machos. Now, Rebecca, I know we're from different cultures and that you are probably…" she swallowed thickly, "…far more experienced than me, but I think this is one of those situations were we ladies should stick together. Don't you?"
"What are you trying to say, sweetie?" Rebecca asked with an eyebrow raised in amusement.
"Well…" Téa took a few more steps into the tent, and leaned against the wooden table with Rebecca's things on it. Originally, Téa would have used it as her dressing table. She quickly pushed that though aside. "It's obvious to anyone who bothers to look that we are the ones in charge of this expedition. Sure, Keith's in on the action, I guess, but he's barely any less ignorant than those pigs out there."
"Getting to the point anytime soon, princess?"
It was annoying to have a twelve-year-old talk to her like a little girl.
"The point, my friend, is that we lead this little adventure, and those guys know it! Ever heard the saying that nothing scares men like strong women?"
Rebecca stared at her for a moment, and raised her eyebrows again.
"You think they might try something?" Unfortunately, Téa mistook the mirth in her voice for disbelief.
"I can assure you that it's true," she said smoothly, and smiled at the witch. "Some of them have already started complaining, and they even doubt your powers."
"Do they now?"
"Yes, they do. It's foolish of them, but we can't do anything about it. At least not… if we don't stick together." She smiled her most beautiful smile. "So what do you say, Rebecca? Let's be friends?"
The witch stared at her with raised eyebrows for moment. "You've got to be kidding" her expression seemed to say, but when Téa met her gaze with that unwavering smile, Rebecca snorted once…
…and then promptly started to laugh. Téa stayed put, her smile wavering a little now, unsure of what she should do.
"Dear god, pumpkin," Rebecca said once she had gotten her laughter under control. "If we didn't already have a deal, I swear I'd keep you around because of your utterly amusing stupidity."
She chuckled a little more as Téa's jaw practically hit the floor. The girl looked outraged, shocked, embarrassed and a little frightened at the same time; a very amusing sight indeed.
"In case you haven't figured it out yet," Rebecca continued and wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. "I can burn every single one of you to the ground with a snap of my fingers. I'm not the least bit scared of any kind of rebellion that might break out in this little group. As for them doubting my powers… what were you expecting from that ignorant bunch of bum-fluff? Rocket-scientists? Oh, and you want to be friends? Let me put it this way: I've met amoebas I'd rather befriend than you. Not because of our different cultures or the age-difference, but because you might possibly be the stupidest, most arrogant, and utterly spoilt human I've ever met. I'm sure Quentin would turn in his grave if he knew that something like you have come from his royal blood." She chuckled once more as Téa began to sputter incoherently, and then fixed the girl with a cold glare. "Now get out of my sight before I loose my temper."
Unable to form any logical thoughts in her current state of rage and shock, Téa did nothing but open and close her mouth soundlessly for a few seconds, then, with a high-pitched snort of affront, she turned and stormed out of the tent, no longer caring about the rain.
The men surrounding the now completely dead fire goggled at her as she came rushing out, but Téa didn't even notice their existence. Her pride had been completely beaten up, and all she wanted to do was scream and cry and stomp her feet until Rebecca gave in and apologized. But somewhere in her currently hazy mind, she realized that that wouldn't work. Not to mention the fact that the witch mistress still scared her.
She hated her! Rebecca had taken the control of this expedition from her, and was not only dangling it in front of her eyes like a carrot in front of a horse, but was also attacking her personally, just to make her authority even more palpable.
A future queen shouldn't have to suffer through things like this!
"Somethin' wrong, m'lady?"
Téa's head snapped up at the question, and she glared at the man whom had dared address her in her current state of mind. It was a pretty tall, broad-shouldered man with spiky black hair tied back in a ponytail. He was as far from handsome as one could come, with his staring eyes and angular face, and Téa felt a hint of repulsion along with the irritation. She hadn't been lying to Rebecca when she said the men were complaining. They were, and this man had somehow become their spokesman. Thus, as soon as he opened his ugly mouth, she knew there was some new complaint coming up.
"No!" She snapped at him and turned around to march over to her horse. "Everything is just peachy."
"Are you sure?" He asked with a raised eyebrow and a meaning glace at the rest of the men. "You seem a bit… on edge tonight? Sure there is nothing wrong? With the expedition or so?"
Ah, so he was fishing for flaws. Téa pulled her bag from the saddle on her horse's back, and turned back around with the most poisonous glare she could muster. She didn't have the energy for this right now.
"Like I said, everything is fine. There is no need for you to worry; everything is going just as planned."
"That's good to hear," the man smiled a fake smile. "Because, you know, if there was something wrong, there might be something we could do to help."
Téa snorted.
"Complete bullshit, as per usual," she hissed. "If there was something wrong, you would all hightail out of here as fast as your legs could carry you. You care about nothing but your payment."
"Well, since you brought it up…" the man said casually. "How is it going with our payment? Can we really be sure that you have the money?"
"You got a pretty hefty advance when we first hired you," Téa said coldly and sat down with her saddlebag in her lap. "We already agreed that you would get the rest when the mission was accomplished."
"But can we really be sure that you have the money?" He asked stubbornly.
Téa sighed heavily as she pulled a new, dry blanket from her bag and wrapped it around herself. It had been the same ever since they left a week ago. The constant pestering about payment, the proof that they could pay them… it was driving her up the wall! Making a quick decision to end this tiring discussion right now, she looked up and met his gaze.
"Listen carefully, because I will only say this once," she said, and all the men leaned in closer to hear properly. She snorted inwardly; greedy pigs. "I don't have the money." Before any of them had the chance to realize what she had just said, she continued: "Our partner back in Domino have it."
"Partner?!" One of the men asked in bewilderment. "You've never mentioned any goddamned partner before!"
"That's because he would prefer to remain anonymous," Téa told him. "He's our partner, and he's keeping an eye on the royal family for us, just to make sure nothing unpredicted happens. Like, for example… the prince's return. I guess you could call him our spy."
"And he knows exactly what we are doing," the man who had appointed himself as spokesman asked.
"Well…" Téa said. "He knows enough to take care of the financial part. I can assure you that he has more than enough money to pay you."
"How can we even be sure that this mystery partner exists?"
Téa sighed again. They were all so suspicious! Didn't they know that a lady never lied? Well… almost never lied, anyway.
"I've been keeping contact with him ever since we left the city," she said and pulled a small bundle of letters out of her bag. She held it out for all of them to see. "I have a carrier-pigeon which have been flying back and forth, delivering reports from him. Look for yourselves; it's all in there."
Slowly the pony-tail man took the bundle and picked one letter to read. Téa was surprised he even could read.
After a few minutes, during which everyone had gotten the chance to take a look at the letters, Téa got them back, and they all had to admit, albeit grudgingly, that it seemed to be a waterproof plan. Somewhat satisfied, they all lost interest in the subject; some went of to try and find an at least decently dry spot, other stayed by the dead fireplace, but started small conversations of their own.
Keith leaned in to whisper in Téa's ear:
"That was a risky thing to do. What if someone's figured out who Raven is?"
Téa glared lightly at him. 'Raven' was their partner's codename, but it felt ridiculous to call him that.
"As if these idiots have enough brainpower to do so," she snapped back. "Besides, I just wanted to shut them up about the money once and for all. Now we won't have to listen to their bitching anymore."
"No," Keith admitted. "Now, it's only your bitching we'll be hearing all day long. Not much of an improvement, if you as me."
Téa saw red. After slapping him hard over the back of his head once, she stood up and stalked of to leave her saddlebag by the horses again. Halfway there, she slipped and fell in a puddle of mud.
GOD, she hated this!
Joey's sleep was shallow and filled with dark dreams. Growling shadows and glowing eyes slipped in and out of his brain. A deep voice hissed dirty words in his ear, mixing with his sister's broken screams, while calloused hands slid over his body like wet, cold snakes. They were a sharp contrast to the warm blood he was standing knee-deep in. He was unable to move, unable to stop it, as one hand slid down his back, lower… lower…
And then he sat up in bed with cold sweat running down his face. The room was dark; the only light being the blue shine from the faint moon outside the window. In less than five seconds, he had thrown the sheets off of himself and stumbled over to the window. Joey gulped down cool night-air like a drowning man, sweat running down his forehead, and shaking hands steadying him on the edge of the circular window while the dream ran through his head. It took him a few minutes to realize that it had been nothing but a dream, and even then, it took him another fifteen minutes to calm down.
His heart was still beating fast when Joey remembered why he had had the dream in the first place. His memories came back to him in a flash; the werewolves, Yugi and Ryou, Seto and the others, the battle…. On its own accord, his hand flew to his neck. The last thing he could remember was silently thanking the higher powers for making him breathe again. Anubis had obviously crushed something valuable with that kick. It was a miracle that he was even alive.
But now, as his hand examined the skin, he was surprised to feel nothing but just that; skin. No unevenness to indicate something broken, no soreness or bruises, not even a bandage! But he could have sworn that Anubis had almost killed him! There should be at least something!
Joey continued to trace the rest of his face with his hands: the scratches he had gotten from the werewolves' sharp nails were gone as well. As a matter of fact; over all… he felt fine! He didn't even have any delayed onset muscle soreness from all the running! But… why? How?
Joey turned around and inspected his surroundings. Obviously, he was back in the hollow mountain; it was dark, but he had been sleeping in this room for a little over a week now. He recognized the bed, the window, and the view outside of it. He was back.
Which meant Ryou and Yugi must be too! Seto would never have left them behind!
Relief washed over him at the thought, and for a moment, he forgot all about his mysterious healing: they had made it out of there, despite Joey's screw-up. And yet there was a part of him that needed to see his two friends with his own eyes. He couldn't relax, couldn't celebrate, until he knew for sure that they were safe.
The belt with his sword and its sheath was lying on a chair next to his bed, and after carefully securing it around his waist, Joey left the room in pursuit of someone, preferably Mokuba or Isis, who could tell him what had happened after his blackout. The tunnels were exactly as he remembered them; spacious and lit by torches, but it felt a little weird to be walking through them again. Even though it had probably only been a few days, at most, since he had last been here, it felt like such a long time ago.
Automatically, he first made his way to the room where he had been eating breakfast, lunch and dinner with Isis, and sometimes Yugi and Ryou, for a week. It felt weird to call it a kitchen or dining-room, but he guessed that was what it was. It was where he ate, wasn't it? Either way, no one was to be seen in there. (Not completely surprising; it was the middle of the night, everyone was probably asleep.)
With this in mind, Joey started walking in the direction of the closest library. If anyone was awake at this time of the night, that was probably where they would be. But the library was deserted as well. There was a warm fire burning in the fireplace, (there always was; Joey highly suspected it was enchanted) and there were pillows strewn all over the floor, but there was no one in there. After further inspections of all the other libraries and other rooms, Joey came to the conclusion that he was the only one awake.
So he decided to just wander about until morning. He didn't want to wake anyone, and he really wasn't the least bit tired, so that seemed like the best alternative. Hey, he might even uncover some of the cave's great mysteries! (Joey didn't give damn if Mokuba said there were no great mysteries; caves like this couldn't not hold great mysteries, damnit!)
But after a few hours, Joey had to admit that if there were any great mysteries in this cave, they were well hidden. He had gotten lost at least four times (didn't think much of it: in that place, one always found ones way sooner or later) and discovered a few new rooms, but that was it. Thus, by the time dawn rolled around, Joey was thoroughly bored.
Not really caring where his feet carried him, Joey fond himself at the cave-entrance just as the sun broke through at the horizon. He couldn't see the sun itself from here, but he could see the sky painted pink by the light. A pretty sight.
Almost as pretty as the large, snow-white dragon lying in the opening, undisturbed.
There was still a large part of Joey which was a huge dragon-fan, and now that part came out to play, as he watched the magnificent creature lying completely still with his eyes fixed on the sky. Despite his less than desirable personality, Joey had to admit that he'd never seen a dragon as handsome as Seto. Maybe it was because Seto was real, while all other dragons he had seen had been illustrations in books. Maybe it wasn't. He really didn't know.
What he did know, was that Seto was slenderer than the dragons in the pictures. His scales were shinier, his wings more elegant, and his eyes deeper and sharper. Joey had always found dragons unbelievably beautiful and powerful in the pictures, but now he realized the books hardly made them justice. At this moment, lost in his own thoughts, Seto was the image of the power, beauty and wisdom his kind had been so famous for.
And then Joey suddenly realized that this was Seto he was watching, and quickly snapped out of his contemplating. He knew for a fact that Seto wasn't wise; he was a jerk. Although he had saved him in the cave… Maybe things would change now…
As if sensing his presence, Seto suddenly turned his head to look at Joey. He blinked once, in surprise, then a small smirk found its way to his mouth.
"So you chose to come back to the living, human? Nice to see."
Joey scoffed silently and took a few steps forward to stand side by side with the dragon.
"Knowing you, you're probably disappointed," he snapped and folded his arms. "It would have been one problem less for you, right?"
"Don't flatter yourself," Seto told him casually. "You're a problem, human, but hardly a big enough problem to cause me any trouble. You're more like… an irritating fly or something. I don't really care one way or the other."
For some reason, that line irritated Joey immensely.
"You really are the biggest pile of crap on the planet," he hissed and glared at Seto. The dragon simply smirked back.
"You're still young, human. In no position to make a judgement like that."
Gritting his teeth in anger, knowing full well that this was a discussion he wasn't going to win, Joey decided to change the subject instead.
"How're Yugi and Ryou?"
Surprisingly enough, Seto answered without any rude remarks.
"As fine as one can expect after such an experience. They didn't have any serious physical injuries, but they are shocked. They're down in the village, resting, and if I know their dear guardians right, Yami and Bakura aren't letting them out of their sight for even a second. Solomon was relieved to have them back, of course."
"That's good to hear," Joey muttered.
They fell into an uncomfortable silence for a moment, then Seto suddenly spoke up once more.
"I must say I'm pretty surprised," he said, and didn't meet Joey questioning gaze. "You didn't try to run away."
For a split second, Joey almost told him what had happened after their separation, but he decided not to. If anything, Seto would only use it against him.
"I told you I wouldn't," he muttered sullenly. "I never leave a friend behind."
"Are all humans as righteous as you?" Seto asked sarcastically. Joey met his gaze with a glare of his own.
"Are all dragons assholes?" He shot back.
Seto's eyes narrowed, but he had barely opened his mouth to reply when Isis came walking through one of the tunnels and spotted them. She hid a yawn behind her hand and smiled as she came over to stand in between them; Joey silently wondered if she did so to keep them from ripping each other's heads off. Figuratively speaking, of course.
"Joey! So good to see you're awake," she said softly and smiled at him. "We were worried for a while, but I knew you would make it. Sorry for not being there when you woke up, but healing demands a lot of energy, and I almost always have to go to bed afterwards."
"It's okay," Joey said, and now he remembered why he had been wandering around in the first place! Stupid Seto and his ability to make him forget things! "What happened?"
"Well," Isis said and shot Seto a sidelong glace. "According to master Seto, you passed out after Anubis crushed you throat. He had to use an air-spell so that you wouldn't die before I could heal you. It was a close call, but he managed to get you here just in time. You've been asleep for a day."
Joey shot Seto a surprised look, but the dragon didn't meet it. Seto did all that for him? Wow, he had figured that the dragon would simply stand aside and watch if he got in a situation like that. But according to Isis, Seto saved his life!
…He was indebted to his worst enemy!? SHIT!
"As for the werewolves…" Isis eyes grew dark and she shot Seto a glance.
"We killed them," he said bluntly. "Every single one of them. They won't be able to harm anyone anymore."
That sounded good to Joey. The bastards had deserved it!
"So that's the end of this story, then?" He asked.
"Looks like it," Isis agreed and turned to leave them. "I have to send a message to Yugi and Ryou; they've been worried about you, Joey. Oh, and Joey?" She turned around in the opening to the tunnel, and smiled that mysterious smile of hers. "Solomon is arranging a party tomorrow night, to honour all of you for saving the boys. You're invited as the guest of honour."
Seto rolled his eyes.
"Solomon takes every chance he gets to arrange a party."
"Can you blame him?" Isis asked with a smile. "After all: we haven't had much to celebrate in the last twenty years."
And then she turned around and walked off, leaving the human and dragon alone once more. Joey turned back around and looked at the now almost blue sky.
"Sooo…" he said carefully. "A party… and I'm invited."
"Don't pee yourself in excitement," Seto deadpanned.
Joey shot him a quick glare, but didn't bother with him. His mood had improved a lot at the news. Joey liked parties, and couldn't wait to see more of Yugi's and Ryou's village. The fact that he was the guest of honour also helped a lot. But there was just one thing…
"What the hell am I going to wear?!"
The village was buzzing with life on the night of the feast. On the day of Joey's all too brief visit, most people had been asleep or busy with their chores. This night, however, everyone were present, dressed in their best robes, and a scent of excitement seemed to be hanging in the air. Joey realized Seto must've been right when he said they didn't arrange these kinds of parties often.
Three long tables had been placed in a big triangle around the huge fireplace burning in the middle of the village. Smaller torches had been stuck into the ground everywhere, giving the whole village a kind of yellow, cosy glow. Young men and women were running around everywhere, putting plates on the tables and making other arrangements, all the while talking and laughing in excitement.
Joey, Seto, Mokuba and Isis arrived just as the sun was setting, and Joey looked around in wonderment at the lively village. The suppressed excitement hanging in the air easily spread, and Joey found it hard to stand still. Not only was it the first time he was officially let out of the cave, but it was also his first chance to spend time with other humans, not to mention having a good time! The slight nervousness he felt at meeting all these new people only made it even better.
"Remember," Seto scolded him quietly as they landed, and he let go of Joey, (while Mokuba and Isis had the privilege of riding on his back, Joey had to settle for being carried around like doll.) "I'm only letting you out because this whole entertainment is dedicated to you; not because I want you to be here, or anything! You are not going to speak to me, you will not complain when I say it's time to return to the cave, and you will keep a low profile, and act mature."
"Stop it with the whole mom-act, lizard-boy," Joey snapped and glared up at him. "It might work on Mokuba, but I don't give a rat's ass about your orders."
"Stop it, both of you!" Isis told them gently. "You'll have plenty of time to argue any other time. We're here tonight to have a good time."
"Yeah, and I know you're gonna love it, Joey!" Mokuba promised him, all the while jumping up and down in excitement. Isis had to jump out of the way so that she wouldn't be hit by his flailing tail. "Everyone here is really nice, and you'll feel like home, I just know it!"
"Of course I will," Joey assured him with a smile, and then turned and glared at his older brother. "So leave me alone!" And with that, he made his way across the street. He'd spotted Yugi, with Yami on his shoulder, a few cottages away, and took the first chance he could get to get away from Mr Dragon-with-a-stick-up-his-ass. Mokuba followed him with bouncing steps.
As he crossed the street in pursuit of his shorter friend, Joey walked passed a group of girls who were folding a pair of table-linens. He could feel their eyes on him as he passed, and heard them whisper excitedly amongst themselves:
"Who is that?"
"Is that the human prince Ryou were talking about?"
"The one who saved Yugi and him from the werewolves?"
"Oh, he's gorgeous!"
"Shush, he might hear you!"
Joey couldn't help but grin. Sure, he wasn't interested in girls, but it was still nice to know people appreciated his looks in innocent idolization like that. Not like Anubis…
He ruthlessly pushed those thoughts away as soon as they appeared. He was not going to think of that tonight! Maybe sometime in the future, when it didn't make him feel cold inside, he'd bring that memory out to analyze and work through, but not right now. The wound was still too fresh.
"Yugi!" He called as soon as the boy was within earshot, and the younger boy's face lit up as he turned around and spotted Joey and Mokuba.
"Hey, you're here! Good!" He greeted warmly. "Joey, it's good to see that you're okay. We were worried."
Joey smiled. He hadn't seen the others since he woke up; Yugi and Ryou were still recovering, it seemed, and Joey himself had been grateful for the chance to rest before the feast. But it was still good to see them again now, even if Isis and Mokuba had assured him that they were fine.
"Very worried," Yami agreed, and Joey could have sworn that the black hawk smiled at him. "Even Seto."
"Really?" Joey laughed, honestly surprised at the last comment. "Isis told me you were, but I'd never have guessed that oversized reptile cared for anyone. It's good to see you too. How are you feeling?"
"Better now," Yugi admitted, ignoring the stab at Seto. They all knew about the rivalry between the prince and the dragon, and found it best to stay out of it. "Knowing they'll never be able to do something like that to anyone again helps a lot."
Even as he said it, a sad shadow lingered in his eyes, and Joey realized that despite everything, Yugi felt sorry for the werewolves. No surprise there, really; Yugi was the type of guy who felt compassion for everyone, even if they didn't deserve it. The though made Joey smile, and he reached out to touch the boy's shoulder in consolation. Yugi's eyes met his, and they smiled in understanding.
"We'll talk more later," Yami said softly and made a gesture with his wing in the direction of the fireplace. "I think Solomon's speech is about to start in a few moments."
"I think you're right," Yugi laughed and dragged Joey with him over to the bon-fire. "Come on. Grandpa will scold both of us if we're not there to listen to his speech. Never mind the fact that I was just kidnapped, and you're the one who saved me! Missing one of his speeches is unforgivable!"
"Better brace yourself," Mokuba warned him cheerfully. "Knowing Solomon, he's probably written down a long speaking about your heroic salvation of his grandson, and all your noble virtues and so on and so on. It'll probably be highly embarrassing, and extremely boring."
Joey groaned loudly and turned to run the other way, but Yugi kept a firm grip on his arm, and kept hauling him towards the fire, where everyone were already gathering, paying no heed to his pleading and whining. Mokuba trailed behind them, laughing happily.
Mokuba was right.
After a long, and slightly embarrassing (on Joey's part) speech by Solomon, the feast could finally begin for real. A few of the adolescents hauled out instruments; guitars, flutes, maracas, violins and different kinds of drums, and began playing a fast and beautiful song with a good beat. People gathered around the fire to dance, or watch the ones dancing, and Joey found himself surrounded by curious males and females of all ages, who wanted to hear about his heroic rescue. No matter how many times Joey told them the truth; that he would have been just as screwed as Yugi and Ryou if Seto, Yami, Bakura and Marik hadn't showed up, people kept their interest in him, and after an hour or so, the conversation switched from the miraculous save to his life prior to the abduction.
That is until a curvy blonde woman made her way through the crowd, grabbed Joey and hauled him to his feet.
"Let's dance, tiger," Mai, the healer, purred and dragged him of to the fire, paying no attention to the protests from Joey's human questionnaires. Before the young prince had the chance to protest, she had wrapped her arms around his neck and stated swaying to the beat, Joey having no choice but to follow suit.
"Sorry for dragging you of like that," Mai told him with a seductive smile. "I just figured you needed a break by now. They're really curious about you, aren't they?"
"I guess," Joey answered. "They don't get out much, do they?"
Mai laughed and smiled at him again.
"Oh, sure they do. We're not entirely isolated, you know. We visit other villages outside the forest now and again. They're just excited because they've never met a real prince before." She slipped in even closer, and smiled again. Joey had seen that look on a few court ladies' faces at home. Tristan called it "the bedchamber-look". "Especially such a handsome one," Mai finished in a purr.
"Eh…" a bit put out, Joey took a nervous step back. How come she made him so nervous, when he had put up with Téa's not-so-subtle hints for so long without problem? "I like guys."
What?! Where the hell had that come from?! He'd just blurted out one of his most well-guarded secrets to a complete stranger? One who was coming on to him, no less! What the hell had he been thinking!?
But to Joey's great surprise, Mai simply threw her head back and laughed. It was a beautiful sound. Joey could see why people would be attracted to this woman.
"Aw, honey," Mai said as soon as she had managed to calm down. "I already knew that. I'm just feeling you up a little, to see how far I could go before you snapped. Just innocent playing."
"You know?!" Joey squeaked in disbelief. "How the hell can you know that?!"
Mai smirked. Even her smirk was seductive. Joey was wondering if everything she did was seductive.
"Sweetie," Mai told him gently. "Call it a woman's intuition. I have certain… alleles that tell me if a man's interested or not. And if you're not interested in me… then you have to like men."
Joey blinked at her. For a moment he thought she was kidding, but when she showed no signs of laughing, he realized she was dead serious.
"Oh," was all he could get out.
"That's the reaction I get most of the time."
"So you did that just to…" Joey suddenly glared at her sullenly. "That was a really bitchy thing to do. Almost sexual harassments."
"I guess you could say that," Mai said and smiled at him. This time there was nothing seductive about it. Just a friendly smile. "I'm sorry. I just can't help myself sometimes. It's always fun to ruffle men's feathers. Especially the cute ones." She winked at him, and Joey found himself rolling his eyes and laughing at the same time. It looked like he had made another good friend tonight.
The rest of the evening went by the same way. After finishing their dance, Joey and Mai rejoined the group they had left earlier; Joey once again ready to answer questions. After another hour, food was carried out onto the tables by a group of women, and everyone was more than happy to hog some of the delicious steak, the juicy bread and fruits, and the wonderful cake as dessert. Joey didn't know why, but for some reason, this food was far more delicious than the food he had gotten every day at home. Ryou told him it was probably because it was cooked as naturally as possible, but Joey knew the real reason: the high spirits and good mood all around the tables made everything so much better- food included. Everyone was talking and laughing together; dragon with human, old with young, man with woman… it made Joey feel home and secure. Even if the entertainments home in Domino were very pleasant, they were never as laid-back and friendly as this one.
Joey never wanted it to end.
After dinner the dancing continued. Joey, Yugi and Mokuba almost died laughing as Ryou, in a flash on inspiration, dragged a protesting Bakura out amongst the other dancers and practically forced him to dance. After almost ten minutes of tugging and dragging on Ryou's part, Bakura finally gave in. Changing to his alter-form, he draped both arms around Ryou and grudgingly started rocking back and forth, pointedly ignoring their friends' howling. Despite the fact that Bakura was at least twice as tall as him, Ryou snuggled into the magic wolf's furry stomach and sighed happily. Bakura didn't protest as much after that.
Seto spent the entire night laying a little aside, simply watching the feast, never really participating in anything other than conversation. He seemed perfectly happy like that though; Joey had noticed his eyes were softer than usual; he seemed more relaxed, and was talking to practically anyone who went over to join him at the sidelines. People were obviously used to the large dragon, and treated him as a part of the family; talking to him, laughing with him… hell, a few kids even dared climbing onto his back without Seto protesting. He actually seemed to enjoy it.
Not that Joey was watching him, though!
Around midnight, a tension in his nether regions told Joey that it was time to excuse himself for a moment. After asking Yugi where he could go to relieve himself, Joey almost reluctantly left the group and the current discussion (about different kinds of magic; mostly hosted by Yugi, Ryou, Isis and Mai, but other people were involved in the conversation as well) and walked of in the direction Yugi had pointed out. He really needed to pee!
A few minutes later, a much more relieved Joey headed back to the camp, completely set on returning to his friends.
"Having a good time?"
Joey spun around and looked up at the voice, only to see Marik lying on one of the larger trees' branches with his hands behind his head, and a bored look on his face. His violet eyes were fixed on the village.
"Marik!" Joey exclaimed, completely taken by surprise. He hadn't spared the last werewolf a single thought since he had woken up, and now he almost felt guilty for it. After all; if it hadn't been for Marik, neither he, nor Yugi and Ryou would have been here tonight, and they'd hardly have a reason to celebrate. "I… I didn't know you were still here. I thought you'd left."
"Your little friends persuaded me to stay," Marik told him in a bored tone. "As thanks for saving their lives or something. And I have nowhere else to go, so…" he trailed of and sighed again. Joey frowned. Even though the werewolf tried to look bored and aloof, there was something with him that seemed so… sad.
Joey could guess why. Maybe Marik had hated his pack, but they had still been his pack. Of course he would mourn them.
Joey studied his face, and came to a shocking conclusion; now that he was truly looking at the other, he could see how young Marik seemed to be. Especially in his current position, and with that expression. He couldn't be much older than Joey himself!
"Why are you sitting here?" Joey asked, suddenly feeling a sting of compassion for the young werewolf. "That party's for you too, you know. We would never have been able to save Yugi and Ryou without you. Hell, we wouldn't even know where they were."
Marik chuckled bitterly.
"You really are a righteous little bastard, aren't you?" He asked, but without any kind of malice. "I'm a werewolf too, you know. I'm just like them… like Anubis. I know what he did to you." Their eyes met, and Joey refused to look away, even though the mere mention of that name made him shiver. "I've always been one of them up until now. I've killed… I've tortured. The same blood floats in my veins. So why are you being so nice to me?"
Joey smirked lightly at him,
"Because I'm an incorrigible optimist and I believe that soul and actions weight heavier than blood and background," he answered firmly. "Now get you ass down here, and go over there, so everyone can show their gratitude properly. If I had to suffer through an entire speech from Yugi's grandfather, the least you can do is introduce yourself."
Marik blinked at him once; the only sign that he was surprised. They stared at each other for a long moment; violet meeting brown, and then, at last, Marik snorted in amusement and jumped from the branch, landing silently beside Joey. Their gazes met once more, and Marik gave him a crooked smile.
"You really are a one of a kind, aren't you, human?" He said with a raised eyebrow.
"My friends call me Joey," Joey answered simply.
Another short silence, then Marik walked passed him and headed for the village.
"I can see why the dragon wants to keep you here," he called over his shoulder. "You make things interesting… Joey."
Joey didn't care to answer him. He just smiled a little, and followed behind him.
He had only taken one single step when Marik's words made him aware of something.
The dragon wants to keep you here…
That was true. But Seto… wasn't paying attention to him at the moment. Seto was preoccupied with other things, just like everyone else. He probably hadn't noticed when Joey went of to pee. And he certainly wouldn't notice if he stayed away a while longer. Or the rest of the night… or forever…
Possibilities raced passed each other in Joey's head. At the werewolf caves, he had stayed because his friends were in danger. Because he'd never leave them behind. But they weren't in danger anymore: they were safe, and even if they would be sad if he left, they would understand why he disappeared. They knew how important family was.
Yes, if he ran now, Seto wouldn't have the slightest idea where to look. He'd get a great head start. And if he succeeded… he'd finally get to see his family again. It had been almost two weeks since his disappearance… they were probably sick with worry, exhausted from looking day and night for him.
Joey's heart ached at the very thought of his beloved mother and sister. They had already lost a father and husband… they couldn't loose a brother and son too! Wasn't it worth it, if Seto, against all odds, did find him? Wasn't it worth the risk of the dragons rage?
The answer, of course, was yes.
And at the same time… Joey took a good look at the village; Marik had already reached it and Joey couldn't see him anymore. The village radiated light, and he could hear laughter and music coming from it. Even now, he could feel the warmth everyone in it held for each other- even him; a stranger. There was a part of him which didn't really want to leave that. A part which wanted to get even more involved with the people, become one of them. A part which was growing stronger every day. And guilt was ripping him to pieces because of that part; he couldn't turn his back on his family just because he found something else he liked! They meant more to him than that!
They meant more… they had to mean more! Serenity… his mom… his grandfather… Tristan… Duke…
Joey took a deep breath, took one last look at the village, and turned around, facing the dark forest instead. He let the memories of his family fill him; pushing aside the pictures of all his new friends. They were more important!
And then, for the first time in his life, Joey walked away from people he cared about.
Remember how I said I'd update when I had the time and energy?
I DID NOW! Finally, finally, finally done! Friggin bitch-chapter, this was! And LONG too! And nothing really happened! I understand if you're disappointed with such an uneventful chapter after last one, but it's necessary! The tempo's gonna pick up soon again, I promise!
Wohooo! 37 reviews for last chap! I'm such a happy bunny right now! Thank you soooo much, reviewers! And LONG reviews too! I like long. Long's great, on so many levels! n.n
But you know, you've spoilt me now, so I'm expecting many reviews for this chapter too (even if it's boring!) and will get sad if I don't get any… TT
SO REVIEW!!!!!
Oh, and can anyone guess who Téa's and Keith's spy is? I won't tell, but I'd like to hear what you people think! So there a little mystery to solve in all this as well. MWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!
Okay, I'm dead tired! Time's 23.45, and I have school tomorrow, so until next time!
R&R!!!!
