Finally in the double digit chapters. Hallelujah. But anyway, thanks to all you guys for helping me get this far ^^ I tend to thank people too much, but deal with it. It means I appreciate you. I don't own Yugioh or The Meranes, whom belong to Sorceress of the nile. No flames please, but I do like constructive critiscm and praises. Thank you.

The royal circlet of bright gold rests lightly on my brow,

I once thought only of the rights the circlet would endow,

But once I took the crown to which I had been schooled and bred,

I found it heavy on the heart, though light apon the head

-Cost of the crown by Mercedes Lackey

"So you're saying that Dartz wants us to bring the whole court with us when we travle to his castle?" Anzu asked in a tentative voice, her blue eye scanning the young blond haired man in front of him. As Queen, it was her job to handle political and social affairs, so she was now going over the preperations for the changing of the sceptors, a peace treaty that went back decades ago. Currently, it was in her kingdoms possesion, but in a few weeks, they would have to give it to Dartz.

"Yes my queen, Dartz would like to see the court. He's bringing his court as well and he thinks that it would be fair if you bring yours." The man said, looking stoic and somewhat bored. Anzu bit her lip, having a feeling that Dartz was planning something. And when she thought Dartz was planning something, he usually was.

"Alright," Anzu sighed, "We'll bring the whole court with us. However, he had best make sure he keeps his end of the bargain."

The man nodded. "I will tell him that," he bowed, "Good day, my Queen." He said and left the great hall. The minute he was gone, Anzu slumped on her throne, feeling an oncoming headache. It was often times like this that she wished that Isuzu would hurry up and become the queen. Then she could relax while her daughter handled the kingdom. Then again, she feared Isuzu might be a tyrant.

"Well someone looks gloomy and depressed."

Anzu smiled a wry smile when she heard her husband's voice. Sitting down in the throne next to hers, Bakura gave her a smirk. "I haven't seen you look this tired since you came out of labor."

Anzu gave a smirk of her own. "Sitting in this chair all day would make anyone tired. They're so uncomftorable."

"Here, here," Bakura said and he leaned over to his wife, pulling on the edge of her dress, "I do know something that would relieve your boredom."

Anzu smiled impishly, playing along innocently. "Oh? And what would that be?"

Bakura looked at the sundial on the wall. "How long until your next meeting?"

"Thirty minutes."

"Then that's all the time I need."

Rin sighed in boredom as she flipped through one of the books in the library. She had never had much patience for reading books on science, but her mother insisted that she read at least of few. So here she was on this nice, warm, sunny day inside. Reading a book on physics. Boring in her opinion, but Anzu expected nothing less of her daughter. Sometimes she wished she could throw her book at her mother's head. That would make her father beyond livid.

She glanced over at Akio, who was reading some book on superstition and shit like that. How he could muster and interested expression was beyond her. Putting her book down, she went over to him and looked at whatever he was reading. "Whatcha reading about?" She asked sweetly. Akio gave her a surprised look, not hearing her put her book down and come over. He gave her a smile.

"Oh, hello Rin. I'm reading a book on prophecies and other superstitions."

"And that deals with science how...?"

Akio gave a laugh. "I have no idea, but it's how people explained the world around him."

Rin snorted. "If you asked me, it's a bunch of hogwash."

"SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Both teens turned to see the book keeper glaring sternly at them, holding his finger to his lips. The minute he was gone, the teens giggled and stuck their tounges out at him. Akio grinned up at Rin. "Rin, that's not very lady like."

Rin smirked. "As I said before "Screw the rules, I'm a princess.'"

Akio shrugged and turned back to the thing he was reading. Rin peered down at the picture. Her eyes widened at the image of a long stick, wrapped by gold and silver with a crest on the top of it, with a replaceable jewel. Rin touched the page, causing Akio to look up. "That's the change sceptor. The kingdoms change it every year. We get it for the spring and summer, and the north gets it for the fall and winter." Rin said.

Akio gave an interested look. "Is it that important? It just looks like a stick."

"ARE YOU KIDDING! IT'S TRADITION! IT REPRESENTS PEACE!"

"SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The librarian said again, a vein throbbing in his head. Rin rolled her eyes and looked at Akio.

"It's not something to take lightly. If something happened to it, there would be trouble. The designs for it are gone, burned away, so it's irreplacable."

Akio gave a mortified look. "Sorry, I never took our kingdom's history lesson as a child. In fact, I only learned math, reading, and writing."

"It's alright," Rin huffed, "Just don't act as if it's something to joke about. I've seen people thrown in the dungeon for it."

Akio shrugged and turned the page, reading something on some mythological creature. Turning the next few pages, he stopped at one and then gasped. "Rin..Rin, look at this!"

Rin came over, looking at the picture with mild interest. "It's a picture of the oracle, Isis." Akio rolled his eyes and shook his head, still pointing at the picture.

"No, you don't get it, Isis is my adopted aunt, my adopted father's sister."

Rin's eyes widened. "No way! Isis is Marik's sister? I did not know that. She rarely comes to the palace anyway."

Akio looked at Rin with a bemused expression. "You've lived here all your life, and you didn't know that Isis was Marik's sister? Wow..."

"SHUT UP! I didn't know okay?"

The librarian came over, an angry expression on his face and he took the two of them by their arms and pulled them out of the library, both of them protesting but he ignored them. Rin glared at the door the minute he closed it. "How rude. Stupid prick."

"Rin!"

"Well he is."

Akio shook his head. "Never mind then. At least we still have the book. I'll return it later." They walked into the garden and sat down on one of the benches, looking through the pages and pointing out things they thought were true and untrue. Akio felt kind of bad when he had to explain that unicorns did not exsist and nearly avoided getting hit in the face.

"Hey, look at this," Rin pointed out, looking at one page with spidery hand writing, "This page looks new."

Akio stared at it for a minute and nodded. "It does. It must have been added a while ago, but I wonder why."

"Maybe a new prophecy was given," Rin answered, feeling an odd feeling and stood up, "I'm bored of this. Let's go do something else."

Anzu gazed at her wedding ring, feeling a blush settle on her face as she thought of her husband and the activities that had taken palce not so long ago. She slumped in her seat and fiddled with her short hair, remincing about when it had been longer. Such a pain it had been then.

"I see you are doing well, my queen. I trust that Princess Isuzu is doing well?"

Anzu sat up straighter as she looked into the eyes as the oracle, Isis. She nodded her head at her. "Hello Isis, how are you? Isuzu is doing well. What brings you here?"

Isis gave her an expressionlesss look and bowed slightly. "I heard that my brother and sister-in-law have arrived at the castle and that they brought my niece. Did they bring Akio along with them?"

Anzu nodded, feeling slightly anxious at the subject. "Yes. Bakura and I asked them to."

"That was a mistake, my lady."

Anzu leaned forward, a suspicous frown on her face. "What are you saying? That I should never be allowed to see the son I had to give up? Isis, you have no idea how hard it is to bear with the fact that you know your son, yet he doesn't even know you."

Isis gave an apolojetic look. "I'm sorry, but do you recall the prophecy I recieved?"

"How could I foget? You basically almost made me lose my children."

(Flashback)

Bakura looked at his wife's swollen belly, a look of pride on his face as he stroked it, speaking to it softly. "This is my child, not Atemu's. No one else's. Mine."

Anzu laughed and gave him a playful nudge. She smiled at him and kissed him. "Atemu was my brother, silly. Now, let's see what our baby's name should be. If we have a girl, I want her name to be Rin."

"Rin?"

"Well, actually, her name should be Isuzu, which means dependable bell and Rin resembles the sound of a bell, so we'd call her Rin for short."

"That's just complicated."

"Only to some people."

"Well if we have a son, we should name him Akio."

Anzu smiled and nodded. "I like Akio," she paused, hearing the baby kick inside of her, "It seems our little baby likes the name too."

The door opened at that moment, and a woman wearing white walked in quietly. Her deep blue eyes held an expressionless look in them. Bakura frowned at her and headed towards her. "Isis, what do you want?"

"I'm here to warn you," she said in a stoic voice, "I have received a prophecy."

"Oh, and what has the great pythoness received now?" Bakura said sarcastically, ignoring the glare Anzu sent in his direction. Isis just looked calm and ignored him, turning to Anzu.

"Let me see your stomach."

Anzu gave an unsure look and headed over to the priestess. Isis closed her eyes and placed her hands on the swollen belly. "Ah, I see. You have a very lively little girl in there. She is very strong willed and opinionated." Anzu exchanged a happy look to Bakura, who had a pleased look on his face. Isis continued to look. "You have a little boy in here as well."

"You mean we're going to have twins?" Anzu asked, surprise written on her face. Isis nodded.

"He's gentle, but strong. He will be very protective."

Bakura raised an eyebrow at this. "And you know all this from looking at my wife's belly?"

Isis nodded her head. "I can tell a person's earliest traits from before they are born. It's an interesting ability. But that's not the reason I came. I will tell you the prophecy I recieved."

Anzu and Bakura watched her silently as she closed her eyes. A low voice creeping out of her.

"The forbidden fruit rippens over the age,"

"Ice falls hot over fire,"

"The fruit rippens and then it's too much,"

"Both kingdoms will fall because of it,"

"And only if the two children are seperated,"

"Will there be any chance of the kingdoms to be saved."

(End flashback)

Anzu sighed and rubbed her eyes. "What do you need Isis?"

"I came to tell you the prophecy is begining to happen."

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