A/N: Sorry for the long wait, but I thank everyone who read and commented! Here's the next chapter! Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!
"Excuse me; have you seen my personal servant? The smallest one?" Atemu questioned seriously and tiredly, keeping himself from leaning against the doorframe of the servant's quarters as he watched the guard stare down at his feet.
The other man shook his head, to Atemu's displeasure. "No, my pharaoh, I haven't seen him for at least a day now."
Atemu nodded. "Thank you," he said curtly before turning on his heel to look elsewhere.
A day had passed since he had snuck out of the three person meeting between him and his two priests. It was strange that they hadn't come after him yet to nag different situations to him. However, the pharaoh took that open opportunity to look for Yugi.
Yet another weird thing, Yugi's disappearance. It was like Yugi had mysteriously vanished from the palace grounds, and no one could remember where they had seen him last.
This was slowly turning Atemu into a wreck.
Walking down the narrow corridor that would lead him back to the main hallway of the palace, Atemu was suddenly bombarded with various people. Servants, priests, cooks and other miscellaneous people crowded him without much of a warning, and Atemu took a step back, wondering where they had all been hiding.
"My pharaoh we're--!"
"...of Apep' are nearby!"
"...you...call for action, my pharaoh!"
Noticing that all of his loyal subjects' complaints were about the impending doom the kingdom faced, the pharaoh held up his hand curtly, relishing in the speedy quiet the action caused.
Like he always did out of habit, Atemu observed all of the individuals in front of him briefly. There were about ten or fifteen present, and they were all shouting about the same thing. Within seconds, Atemu finally realized that there was to be a deadly attack on the kingdom.
It hit him like a block of limestone, and the teen ruler inwardly winced, finding that his previous thoughts on the awaiting group had been childish. How could he ignore such a thing...how could he just step over his chosen advisors like that...?
Oh, right. Yugi was why.
Blinking, Atemu realized that he had spent enough time thinking to himself, and had forgotten the people waiting for him to speak. Searching the group, he spotted a familiar guard, and set his gaze on the man, who lowered his own gaze, knowing that the pharaoh would speak to him first.
"Get the troops prepared. Make sure they have all the necessary equipment, and that they have eaten something to help their energy. Make haste, we'll march off a little after noon," Atemu instructed formally.
The guard nodded with out looking at him. "Yes, Sire," he replied back, and immediately left to do as told.
Turning his attention to the rest of the group, Atemu gave them all a reassuring look. "We'll go out to battle, beyond our walls, so that no civilian is hurt, understood? There is no need to worry; I have much trust in our soldiers. You are all dismissed." He gave a final wave of his hand, and the group of men and women seemed wary, but left without question.
Breathing out a breath he didn't even know he was holding, Atemu silently and briefly congratulated himself, a different, and prideful feeling overcoming him. So this was what being a pharaoh was supposed to feel like. The ruler took a second to absorb the feeling, unsure if it was really what he wanted or not.
"Good job, my pharaoh," a voice came from behind, and Atemu felt a hand on his caped shoulder, immediately knowing who the priestess was.
Turning around, Atemu looked into proud eyes. "Thank you, Isis," he offered, smiling a little, a small part of his mind reminding him to go find Yugi now that he had solved one problem.
"What are you going to do now?" Isis asked suddenly, a smile softly spreading over her face. Atemu quickly searched her face, seeing how proud she was of him for handling the situation only a few minutes before quite maturely.
He knew that a pharaoh wasn't supposed to hesitate as much as he did, but Atemu couldn't help but bite his lip. He still had to find Yugi, wherever he was hidden. It tore at his insides just thinking of what could've happened to his little servant, and he knew that once he found him, he'd have to apologize for his foolish actions.
On the other hand, a much greater force was weighted on his shoulders. He had ordered one of the guards to make sure all of the available soldiers were ready to fight. That meant he had to lead the army out to fight the 'Followers of Apep' soon. The weight only got heavier the more he thought about the seriousness of war, as he had never commanded the army as of yet.
It was either go around looking for Yugi, or potentially save his kingdom. His kingdom.
"Send for one of the servants to prepare my horse, and send some others to retrieve my armor. Immediately." His mind made up, Atemu whirled around on his heel, his cape following him as he made his departure.
"He's what?" Seth asked incredulously, nearly slapping down the scrolls he was currently reading over. Isis had just barren great news, and he couldn't believe what he was hearing.
Isis was so happy it sounded like she was about to cry at any given moment. "He has finally come to terms with his wits, and has decided to lead the army out to face the 'Followers of Apep'!" she repeated.
"You didn't foresee this in your millennium necklace?" Seth questioned with a small smirk, mindlessly putting away the current scrolls he had laid out.
The priestess shook her head. "No, I haven't been able to see anything for the past couple days, actually. I even tried to see the outcome, but it was still foggy. I wonder if this is a sign that determines what Atemu will do, and if he'll become responsible."
"Seems like it so far," the priest commented, walking out of his study, Isis following suit.
They both said nothing as Seth made his path towards his quarters, summoning a servant or two to help him with his armor, as he was more than willing to aid his pharaoh at a time of need such of this.
When the different animal hides were strapped on, and his sword was put into place, Seth made sure his own millennium item was at hand, just in case Atemu would call for anything drastic.
"You are to go out to battle then?" Isis asked quietly as they made their way to the stables. They made their way into the stable itself, greeting the other priests who had also heard of the great news, and had prepared hurriedly.
Faintly, Seth wondered where she was for the past ten minutes, as she had witnessed him being draped with armor. Then again, she might have fazed out, trying to see the impending future. He nodded stiffly, dismissing one of the servants tending to his personal horse.
Isis looked toward the entrance, wondering why Atemu had yet to show himself. Did he actually back out? She had been able to read his emotions through her millennium item, sensing feelings of distress, anger, and sadness radiate off the pharaoh. It was obvious he had been searching for his little servant for quite a while. Maybe he had gone back to his searching instead.
Hearing the other priests coming out of the stables, Isis was just about to doubt Atemu's coming when his familiar figure appeared, along with two other servants by his side, carrying a sword and shield for him to use just in case things got physical for him.
"My pharaoh," she greeted, keeping her face stoic as he entered the stables to retrieve his trusted steed. Just from their constant worry for their dear ruler, Isis could tell the other priests were relieved that Atemu had followed through after all.
Their ruler came back out, a serious look on his face, and Seth couldn't tell whether it was because he was serious to defend his kingdom, or to get this battle done and over with as quickly as possible so he could go back to find Yugi. Either way, Seth was overjoyed he had come back to his senses.
And that was saying something.
His cousin nodded at him curtly, and they all mounted their horses, following Atemu's lead. They went to the front gates of the palace, where they were met with the royal army, prepared and raring to go.
Atemu pulled up to the lead soldier. "We will march through the city. I need you to take a troop of twenty men to spread the word through the city that there is no need to worry. This battle will take place at least a mile or two outside the kingdom's walls." He paused, looking up for a brief moment, as if he wasn't sure what to say next. "Report back to me when you and your men are done."
"Yes, your Majesty," the guard agreed nonchalantly, turning around to select his twenty men.
Seth watched with a concrete face as his cousin sat back on his horse with pride and dignity, something he had never seen before. This was how he was supposed to act, and now he finally was.
"Men, I have heard that this group of invaders is strong, but I have a strong belief that we are much stronger," the pharaoh started in a regal voice, nice and clear for all to hear. "In fact, I know we are much stronger than them. That is why we'll show to them that they are nothing but a jumbled mess that Apep has created. We'll stomp them, and prove that the gods are all on our side."
Seth had to hold back a small smile. It was like nothing before. Atemu had total control, and he was willing to bet the teen wasn't about to give it up easily. His voice demanded authority, and his small, but little unsure speech had been done perfectly. He listened as the large group of men cheered in anticipation. The gates opened, and Atemu headed out, and he and the army of Egypt followed their rightful leader with pride.
"Captain! The pharaoh's troops have been spotted just outside the city's gates!" one of the many followers said hurriedly, sounding out of breath as if he had just ran a full marathon.
One of the couple leaders present whirled around, looking at the lithe man with a raised eyebrow. He shrugged, looking up at the sky, wiping the sweat from his brow with the back of his arm, and he smiled. "All the more better. Apep is sure to give us luck; he hasn't failed us yet."
The small man looked really worried despite his leader's confidence. "But, sir, we have estimated that there are at least twice as many men as we have."
The leader laughed a scoffing laugh. "Impossible. His kingdom may be large, but not that many men would be willing to fight. I suspect that they'd rather convert over to Apep the minute we crush their puny army and breach their precious city."
The messenger looked a little convinced, but it was obvious he was still worried. Yes, this group had managed to grow in numbers fairly quickly, but...they couldn't be strong enough to go against the pharaoh's army, could they?
"Besides, we have more men with shadow monsters, may I remind you," the leader said, turning his back on the follower. "The pharaoh is said to have an army that can only wield shields and spears. He fears that if civilians such as yourself have a shadow monster inside you, it is bound to take you over, and take him down. Only the pharaoh and his priests have those types of power," he concluded, looking back to see the smaller man look thoroughly relieved with his explanation.
Looking ahead, he could indeed see a faint outline of the pharaoh's army. Yes, it would only be a matter of a couple hours before their real battle would begin...Apep against Horus.
And Apep was sure to win.
"Go tell Hassan to get everyone in their place. We'll be marching in about an hour or so," the man instructed suddenly, coldly. He could hear the smaller man scuttle away as sand was scraped against.
Breathing in the sandy, warm air, the leader smiled to himself, and chuckled for a moment or two. Yes, today would end in the slaughter of Egypt's mighty pharaoh...and from what he had heard, the pharaoh wasn't in his right mind at all.
Yugi looked up tiredly, blinking his tired eyes. He and the guard were still stuck in this small, isolated shack, and Yugi wondered when the priestess would come back so he could get back to work in the palace.
Sighing, Yugi stood up, listening to the small snores emit from the guard in the other corner. Going over to the small table provided, Yugi scooped up a piece of bread left for them, and some small dates, before devouring the food merely out of boredom.
Licking his lips, Yugi thought about Atemu for what seemed the thousandth time that day. His mind worried away at most of the thoughts that he had already gone over, and it was like a drug he kept taking, and he couldn't stop.
"I'm so stupid," the servant muttered to himself, letting a hand go up to his forehead as he sat down. He rubbed his temples in his own self wallowing, trying to think of something else.
A thought of banging his head against the wooden door came to mind, and Yugi stood up, stopping when he heard a very peculiar noise from outside. Curious, Yugi crept over to the mostly boarded up windows, squinting through one of the cracks provided.
From what he could make out, about four or five horses passed, and now there were just a bunch of feet marching in the same direction. Furrowing his eyebrows, Yugi looked down at his own shoes, catching the similarity between his and all of those other shoes.
What was going on? Was priest Seth leading the army somewhere? He was sure Atemu wouldn't; Atemu would never in his life lead the royal army. He had told him himself that he didn't want to be the pharaoh, and Yugi took that as a clue that Atemu would refuse to do pharaoh-ly things.
But that still left the question of what was going on.
Yugi watched the march for a couple of minutes, every now and then backing up and blinking his eyes as sand that was picked up had floated into his eyes. He nearly jumped when he heard the guard unexpectedly stir awake.
"Get away from there," the man said gruffly, still taking his time to wake up.
Obeying, Yugi hopped down from the chair he was standing on and walked over to the small case of stairs before sitting down on them. "Where's the pharaoh's army going?" he asked simply, watching as the guard got up and took a piece of bread for himself.
The man shrugged. "Something about a group trying to take over the kingdom or something. Most of us didn't think the pharaoh would actually go for it since he thought it wasn't much of a problem, but I guess he finally came to his senses," he explained, munching on the bread.
That seemed like the most information Yugi would get, so he didn't ask anymore questions. Sitting back, Yugi wondered briefly about the group, wondering who they were and what they really wanted.
'I wonder if Atemu's really leading them...' Yugi thought after a while, thinking back to what the guard had said about the pharaoh earlier. Biting his lip, Yugi added to himself, 'I hope he doesn't get hurt.'
A/N: So a little bit of a serious Atemu in this chapter, and Yugi's completely confused. Hehe. Somehow, I found this chapter somewhat inspiring to write, or at least everybody's joy that Atemu actually decided to do something. Anyway, thanks for reading, and please comment!
