(I own nothing)
~Chapter Ten~
Atem didn't hesitate for an instant before walking in to face the council- a feat which Bakura could barely manage. Although he held his composure, his heart raced; he could feel the tension in the room.
Six fairly important-looking people (four men, two women), all clad in well-made, beautiful clothing (a sure sign of wealth) were seated at a long table. Mahad, who'd walked to the room with Bakura and Atem, took one of the empty seats, leaving just two empty- the high priest's and the pharaoh's, Bakura guessed- at the head of the table, and directly to the left. None of them, Bakura noted grimly, looked particularly happy or optimistic, although one woman's gaze was, although intense, not altogether bad. She nodded once towards him, seeming to acknowledge or agree with something.
"Greetings, friends," Atem said, nodding his head in return when they all bowed theirs to him in respect. "I understand that this is very shocking news, and that you are less than pleased, but please, allow me to explain my reasonings." Although there were scowls, they nodded their consent after exchanging a few glances and whispers.
"Very well, pharaoh," declared the man closest to the center of the table, a pale, fair-skinned man to whom Bakura had taken an instant disliking. "We'll hear what you have to say, and decide if it is a wise decision." Atem put his hands on his hips, clearly taken aback.
"Excuse me? Who are you, to speak of such judgement of your pharaoh's decisions?" he demanded. "And before even hearing his reasons?" The man shook his head.
"I'm sorry, pharaoh, but when you were captured so easily, we saw a work of the gods. The majority of us voted that they were testing your authority. You are, after all, only half royal. Your mother hadn't a drop of divine blood... what if you aren't a fit heir to the throne?" He shook his head again, and Bakura felt his blood boil, fighting the urge to punch him (hard). "We couldn't have that; who knows what divine rage that may incur? We'll need to prove that you're a fit ruler. I'm sure you understand." Atem was speechless for a moment, his mouth open in shock.
"This is ridiculous," Bakura interjected, every eye in the room turning to him, and he could tell that they were all tensed, waiting for him to try something. "There have been half-blooded pharaohs in the past, and no horrible curse ever befell them. It was entirely my fault- my own misinformation. You see, as I'm sure you all know- after all, most of you were alive at the time, and quite possibly were involved- twenty years ago yesterday, my home village, Kul Elna, was massacred by the pharaoh's men. I survived the attack, but only barely. The millennium items needed ninety-nine human souls, and I was the hundredth victim. By the time they got to me, they'd captured all of the souls that they would need, and so they just sort of... played. They thought for sure that I would die, but as you can see, I managed to survive, hating the pharaoh- understandably, I think- with every fiber of my being. I'd lost everything, so what did I have left to do? Get revenge, naturally. Because although Kul Elna was a town of thieves and smugglers, it was also a town of wives, and children, families. My little sister was killed, and there were plenty of other innocent children, murdered by the pharaoh's men. I can't abide by is the murder of innocents- which is why I'm standing here today, delivering your pharaoh back to you, safely. When I found that he was, in fact, the wrong pharaoh, I could not harm him. He'd done no wrong, and moreover, he truly felt pain when he heard of my suffering. I've never met someone with such a pure and compassionate heart. He... he saw that I'd suffered, and he truly cared, offering to actually compensate in some way. I'm a murdering cutthroat thief, and my morals aren't yours, but I've never taken an innocent life, which is probably more than some of you can say. I've apologized to him for kidnapping him, and I apologize to you." Without giving anyone a chance to interrupt, Atem interjected, explaining to them what had happened inside the gates of the city in question, Bakura filling in the details.
"I've offered to employ Bakura, and he's accepted. I know that it sounds like a crazy idea, but he has connections that we could only dream of otherwise." The members of the council were starting to look like they might be listening a little more.
"I don't want another Kul Elna to happen," Bakura said, just quietly enough that they had to actually listen to him in order to hear him, but loud enough that they would hear. "Nothing like that should ever happen again. I'm confident that Atem and I can work effectively to protect the people of Egypt- not only from outside threats, but also ones from within. No innocents should die at the hands of those charged with their protection." Well, he knew that his last line had snagged the other woman's vote- she was probably a mother; judging by the teary look in her eye. The main objector, however- the pale man, still looked smug.
"This doesn't change the fact that he's not divine. Like I said before- we can't risk angering the gods by following an unfit leader." Bakura was ready for this, and he loved the feeling of knowing that he would win the argument.
"You said yourself that it was the work of the gods, Atem's disappearance- you're right. The gods have chosen me to bridge the gap between pharaoh and pariah. We're opposites, but our abilities complete each other. He lacks experience; I've had plenty of that, believe me. I have no cause. My entire life, I've been living just to see the pharaoh brought down, only to have my whole purpose come crumbling down around me. I need direction... I need a cause, or else I'll have no reason for existing. This is my cause. I realized that I actually cared what happened to Atem in the city; I haven't been able to care about anybody for twenty years. I want to help. Please, let us make Egypt even greater than she already is..." He trailed off, pleading in his voice, and effectively ensuring himself a job. Even the man who seemed so set against him had nothing to say to oppose him, instead standing and bowing to Atem. The rest of them followed suit, murmuring apologies.
"Thank you," Atem said sincerely, bowing back to them. "Thank you for giving us this opportunity. You will not regret this decision."
When the meeting was adjourned, both Seth and the woman who'd nodded to Bakura approached Atem, smiling happily.
"I knew you would be able to win them over!" She told him. "You've made a wonderful decision!" Atem laughed as Seth draped a long arm over his shoulders. The priest discreetly kissed the boy's cheek.
"You've done it," he murmured, smiling at his pharaoh. Bakura cleared his throat.
"Oh! Bakura, this is high priestess Isis. She is the bearer of the millennium necklace, which grants her future sight."
"I am sorry, I did not know of the grim origins of the items," she told him sadly, her gaze once again piercing. "It only allows me to see forward in time, never backward. I am pleased, though," she smiled happily once again, "that you've agreed to form this alliance. You two need each other; you both would have failed, had you not decided to join together." Her words sent shivers down Bakura's spine; he could tell that she was dead serious, and that she knew what she was talking about. "There will be obstacles, of course, but only minor setbacks... you are creating history."
A/N: Aaaaand that's a wrap! Don't worry, though; I'm already working on the sequel. I'm going to wait until I'm almost done with it, though, to post, so that I don't flake out halfway through, like I almost did with this one.
I apologize for any historical mess-ups... I figure it's my story, so I can just set it up how I want. :P you know.
thank you all so much for sticking with me and reading this, and thanks for all of the wonderful reviews. let me know what you think! I'll work on the sequel and get it up asap.