Hello there everyone! I know this chapter took me a little while to get up, but it was an important chapter and I didn't want to rush it. Plus it's longer than usual and that's a bonus! I really enjoyed writing this with all the beautiful wedding attire and the emotional turmoil, so I hope you enjoy reading it! :D
A week had passed and the day of the wedding had arrived. Atem had successfully busied himself enough with wedding preparations to avoid both Mahad and Seto. While the rest of the palace was alive with excitement over the marriage of their prince, Atem had turned into an empty shell of himself. The days blurred together as he continued to go through the motions, unthinking, unfeeling. He had nothing left but his duty. Mahad had spent the week working himself to the bone, doing anything he could to stop the pain and confusion. Seto had become so insufferable to be around that he spent most of his time alone. No amount of joy in the air could disperse the cloud of misery that plagued them.
The prince sat in his room, his servants carefully readying him for the ceremony. He kept himself still as his eyes were delicately painted with kohl and malachite, the black and green beautifully offsetting his violet eyes. Yet those eyes were not shining with passion or excitement; they were dull and listless, the eyes of a man who had given up on life. Atem stared into nothingness as he let this servants work on him, barely aware that they were there. He was adorned with shimmering silver jewelry and wore clothing of the purest white, giving him a light, ethereal look that made a lovely contrast against his tanned skin and dark makeup. He truly looked like a god incarnate, not that Atem even noticed. To him, the cuffs around his wrists felt like shackles, the necklace around his throat like a noose. He might as well be dressing for his own funeral and not his wedding. He only had a few hours until he had to head down for the ceremony, but there was no point in savoring any last moments. He had nothing left to savor.
Meanwhile, Mahad was trying his best to remain as apathetic as possible as he helped to prepare for the wedding. Everyone in the palace was put to work, making sure it was an event to remember. He watched as Mana ran around the court, conjuring beautiful, undying flowers out of thin air and spreading them about. Mahad knew she wasn't happy about the marriage either, but as always she was working hard to try to keep everything cheerful. She glanced his way and gave him a warm smile, but he pretended he didn't see her. The magician quit what he was doing and walked over to his apprentice. He didn't feel like standing there watching her pity him anymore. "I'm going back to my room to dress. I'll see you at the ceremony." Mana gave him an understanding nod as he walked away. Mahad surveyed the room before he left; it was stunning, surely fit for his prince. It made him sick. As he turned to leave, he realized someone was conspicuously missing from the room. Where was Seto? They had all been asked to assist in the preparations. That conceited bastard must think he's too good to help us. Probably locked up in his room brooding as usual.
Mahad let the issue go and walked back to his room, dressing for the wedding. He put on his finest attire then called his servants to fix his hair and makeup. Foregoing his regular headdress, he allowed them to pull back his long hair, twisting ocean colored glass beads into his high ponytail. Similar colored glass was inlaid into his jewelry. Feeling sufficiently ready, he dismissed the servants and sat down on his bed. He contemplated remaining in his room during the ceremony or even running away, but he knew he would do neither of those things. No matter what had happened between them, he was still Atem's friend and guardian and would never leave him like that. It wasn't as if Atem was doing this to Mahad on purpose. He hadn't seen the prince since he ran out on him, but Mahad suspected it was the reason he chose to go through with the marriage. Atem couldn't possibly be happy with this choice.
Wait…what am I doing? Suddenly the magician realized something. He was supposed to protect Atem, yet he was letting him go through with something he knew the prince didn't want. He had to stop this, not for his sake but for Atem's. He had always considered his duty to be to Atem above everything else, even the kingdom. It was that duty that made him realize this was the right thing to do. He stood up and sprinted from his room, but not to the court. Mahad knew he couldn't do this alone; he needed help.
Seto was sprawled out on his bad, staring up at the ceiling. He had blown off preparing for the ceremony, though had decided to dress in case he changed his mind about attending. It wasn't like him to neglect an order, but he couldn't care less at this point. He turned his gaze to the empty space next to him in his bed, remembering the heat of Atem's body as he held him, the softness of his skin, the way the prince had so readily embraced him. The thought made him furious; he stood up and grabbed a vase on the nearby table, smashing it against the wall.
"Upset about something, I take it?"
Seto wheeled around to find Mahad standing in his doorway. His eyes narrowed and his anger grew stronger. "Why the fuck are you here?" he spat, ready to take his frustrations out on the magician next.
Mahad ignored him and took a seat on the nearby sofa, trying to decide how he wanted to go about this. Enlisting Seto's help was the last thing he wanted to do, but he had no one else to go to, no one else who would be bold enough to attempt something like this, no one else who had a reason to. "Going to the wedding I see," he said quietly, noting the exquisite midnight blue the guardian was dressed in. Mahad could almost see why the prince found Seto so alluring. A pang of jealously ran through him like a knife.
"As are you. I'm rather surprised, but then again, you aren't the type to disobey and attract attention to yourself, are you?" Seto replied, leaning against the wall as he spoke to the magician, not wishing to share the sofa with him.
"Actually, that is why I am here. I want to put an end to this wedding, and I want you to help me. I wouldn't be asking if I didn't think it was the right course of action." Mahad spoke with determination, his smoky eyes pleading with Seto to join him.
"You have got to be kidding right? You think I'm going to help you disrupt a royal marriage ceremony just so you don't lose your beloved prince?" Seto laughed the notion was so absurd. "I will not be party to such a humiliating display. Besides, it would never work. This is what the prince wishes and so it shall be done."
"That's the whole point! Atem doesn't wish for this to happen!" Mahad snapped back. "You should know better than anyone, considering you are the one he confided in about the matter in the first place. If you truly believe that this is what Atem wants, then go to the ceremony and watch him take his vows, but if you have even the slightest doubt, please aid me in this." His words were full of bitter contempt and envy, but they seemed to strike a chord in the other guardian. The magician watched as Seto's eyes fell to the floor, a quiet despair falling over him.
"It doesn't matter anymore, don't you see? He has spurned us both and has chosen a third route," Seto responded, never taking his eyes off the ground. "He said…he said I ruined his life…I do not know why he turned from you, but I do know that I am no longer a part of this."
Catching glance of a tear falling from the guardian's eye, Mahad suddenly understood the true Seto. "You really do care for him…don't you?" He asked, tears welling up in his own eyes that he quickly wiped away. Seto looked up at him, not appearing angry at the accusation, but vulnerable.
"More than you could ever realize," he answered softly, finally moving to sit beside Mahad. He didn't hate the magician; he was just painfully jealous, jealous that Atem always chose Mahad over him, jealous that this man had a bond with the prince that he never would. He really hated himself, knowing he would never be good enough. "What does it matter? He wants you. He will always choose you."
"You are wrong, Seto," Mahad said, his voice filled with sadness and disappointment. "Atem shows me too much loyalty, forgetting his own feelings. Yet he gave himself to you in a way he never has to me...in a way he wouldn't give to me… That alone is a declaration of his heart's true desire."
The two of them sat in silence, each of them thinking that he did not deserve the prince. "We hurt him, didn't we…forcing him to choose like that," Seto finally said solemnly. "Now we have driven him into a life he never wanted."
"It isn't too late to fix things." Mahad hesitantly placed his hand on Seto's shoulder, letting him know he needed him on this.
The guardian looked at him in shock, but slowly the corners of his mouth turned up into the sly grin that was so quintessentially Seto. He held out his hand and Mahad grasped it in a firm handshake. "Let's do this."
It seemed that the entire kingdom had turned up for the marriage of their prince; even those outside of the nobility gathered near the palace to try to catch glimpses of the new couple. Marriage festivities were rather uncommon unless you were upper class, so naturally everyone was intrigued. The high priest of Amun Ra had come to bless the marriage under the sun god and a scribe arrived with the marriage contract ready to sign. Atem stood in front of his father as he sat on his throne, waiting for Isis to arrive. He kept his head turned from the guests, but he could feel hundreds of eyes on him, all watching his moment of defeat with palpable anticipation.
Mana strolled up to him before taking her seat, practically in tears already. "I just wanted to wish you luck, Atem. I hope your decision brings you some measure of happiness."
Atem embraced her, quietly asking her if she had seen Mahad or Seto. She shook her head as she pulled back, whispering "I'm sorry" before she left to find her seat. The prince couldn't say he was surprised. Yes, he had thought at least Mahad would show up out of some sense of duty, but it seemed that even the magician could not gather the composure to sit through this torture. It was better neither of them were here; this way Atem could play his part without distraction.
Finally the bride entered, dressed in white and silver to match her groom. Her hands and arms were decorated with intricate henna patterns and finely beaded netting had been placed over her sleek, raven hair. Atem could not deny that she looked lovely enough to resemble the goddess for which she was named, but the beauty of this woman did not fill the void inside of him. He put on the best smile he could muster as he took her hands. The pharaoh smiled at his son proudly as the priest began to ask Amun Ra for his blessing. Atem had brought a ring for his bride as was custom, and slipped it onto her slender finger as he pledged his commitment to her. His voice cracked as the words came out and he swallowed nervously. It's almost over. All I have to do is sign the paper and then I can leave. Isis gave him a quizzical look, asking if he was all right in a whisper. Atem nodded and motioned for the contract to be brought over. He looked at the piece of paper and hesitated, knowing that signing it would make everything official. The weight of the decision was crushing him. Atem looked back at his father, the pharaoh silently urging him on. Sighing, he resigned himself to fulfilling his duty.
"My prince, don't do this!"
Atem dropped the unsigned contract and spun around, stunned as he saw Mahad and Seto burst into the room together. The whole room was taken aback, muttering their shock amongst each other. "What the..? What are you two doing?" Atem stuttered out, trying to comprehend the idea of his two best guardians breaking decorum and interrupting a royal ceremony. There was no way his father was going to give them a break this time.
Mahad ran up to the prince, pulling him away from Isis and ignoring the look of fury he was receiving from the pharaoh. "Please Atem…please don't go through with this. Don't throw your life away." He was down on his knees, squeezing the prince's hands in his own.
Atem's eyes welled up with tears, not knowing what to say. He looked from Mahad to Seto; the guardian had been silent so far, but the prince saw a fierce desperation in his sapphire eyes. He couldn't bear to see this kind of pain in the two people who meant the most to him.
"Why don't we have this discussion elsewhere?" Seto advised, wanting to get as far away from the pharaoh as possible.
The three of them rushed away to an empty room, Atem slumping onto the nearest sofa. "Why are you doing this?" he broke the silence, his eyes to the floor. "I knew what I had to do. It was supposed to be quick and simple, and now the two of you have made it impossibly difficult." He was shaking with pain and frustration.
"This can't be what you want, Atem," Mahad replied. He remained beside Seto, fearing that taking a seat beside the prince would make him even more agitated.
"Of course this isn't what I want!" he cried, lifting his head to face them. "I never wanted this, but there was no other choice! I was hurting and disappointing everyone important to me and I had a higher duty to consider. I am doing this for both of you…"
Seto narrowed his eyes and walked over to Atem, grabbing his chin and forcing him to look at him. "I don't want to hear any more of that martyr bullshit. Don't you remember what I told you when you first came to me with this? This is your life and no one else's! Stop trying to look out for everyone's feelings besides your own because it's easier than facing your own emotions! I thought you were better than that."
Atem looked at the guardian wide-eyed, the truth of his words seeping in. "I had forgotten…" he whispered as he gently pushed Seto's hand away. He sat silent for a while, sorting out the thoughts jumbled around in his head. Why was he really marrying Isis? To fulfill his obligation to his father and his kingdom? Or to ignore the turmoil in his heart, pretending this would erase it? This was wrong and he knew it; this accomplished nothing. "You are right," he said as he finally lifted his eyes to Seto again. "This isn't going to solve anything. This is me running away and giving up. A true prince runs away from nothing. I refuse to be as weak as that." Atem stood and gave Seto's shoulder a warm squeeze. "Thank you. I owe you much." There was so much more he wanted to say to him, but now was not the time. They simply exchanged silent looks of understanding. Atem broke from him and made his way to Mahad, taking the magician's hands in his. "I am truly sorry. I thought you hated me…the way I ran out on you like that…"
"I could never hate you, my prince. My feelings are hardly a reason to give up your own happiness. That won't do either of us any good." Mahad smiled, knowing that he and Seto had gotten through to him. "If I may say, you really do look amazing, though. I am sorry it was wasted."
Atem smiled back, looking Mahad over. "I could say the same about you, about both of you." He noted the faint red tinge that came to Seto's cheeks as he turned away with an embarrassed scowl. "Well, I suppose I have some explaining to do." The prince was about to return to the court, when suddenly Mana burst into the room, a look of shock and fear on her face.
"Atem, there you are!" she cried, her voice urgent. "Come quick! Your father just collapsed."
I really love cliffhangers XD Exciting things are to come, and even some happy things believe it or not! You know what would make this story even better though? If you guys review! It means a lot to me and it really helps me out, so please give me your input! ;)
