DIS: Ohhh, wow...So, the last time I updated was in August. U_U I am really sorry for having not updated sooner. Needless to say, I had a busy end of the summer. I was rarely ever home except for sleep and then school came and needless to say, writing wasn't on my list of things that needed to be done. In any case, thank you to everyone who reviewed and has waited patiently for this chapter!!!
X
The Fairest Lady: Chapter Ten
Malik woke up bleary-eyed and confused. He put a hand up to shield his eyes from the candle Seto thrust into his face. For a moment, he did not recognize Seto and thought he was still dreaming and in Hoshäi. But a second look around him corrected his initial deduction. He had been in a light sleep, though light enough for dreams to come upon him. He could feel his body weigh heavy from lack of sleep. He was only surviving on the bits of nightmarish sleep he caught at night and the rejuvenating potion that he had only recent made for Bakura and was now making for himself. "Get up," Seto's cold voice snapped at him. "There is an issue that needs to be resolved."
"And what do you want me to do about it?" Malik spat in return, shoving a hand out towards the candle. "Get that fucking thing away from my face, damn it!" Seto obliged him, more as so Malik wasn't able to spill hot wax on both of them than at his rude request. Malik rubbed his face briskly with both hands and then dragged them through his mussed, long dishwater blonde hair. After a moment in which he sat in bed with his hands in his hair, he sighed and mumbled, "What issue is it that we are experiencing?" He lowered his hands and turned his tired gaze to Seto.
"Bakura wants to see you at the edge of the woods, right before the trees part out into the glade. He'll explain it to you. Hurry up. It's important." Seto turned slightly and extended a hand towards the fireplace. The fire lifted from beneath the broken logs, crackling and filling the room with light. Satisfied, he left the room and shut the door quietly behind him. Malik sat in bed, naked to his waist, and after heaving another sigh, he climbed out of bed and began to search for clothing. After dressing in warm clothes, he grabbed his cloak and silently traversed through the cottage and outside. Throwing the cloak around himself, he disappeared and in a matter of minutes was beside Bakura.
"You took a little longer than I expected," Bakura remarked in a soft voice, staring ahead of him with a distant expression. "Did you manage to get some sleep?"
"A bit," was Malik's short response. Bakura nodded and turned his head towards him, inwardly surprised that he had allowed him that much information. Malik ignored the look. Although he and Bakura were closer than Seto would be ever be with either of them, they still knew very little about each other, just as they knew near to nothing about Seto's own circumstances. Bakura had not even heard Seto's story about Kisara when he spoke to Anzu, his busy brain only picking up the details of their escape plan. It was a pity, too, but lucky in Seto's case; that information would only be brought up time and time again to torture his already suffering soul. "What is it that was so important that I had to come all the way out here in the middle of the bleeding night?" Malik flashed a wary look around him, searching for signs of some disturbance. Bakura shook his head, indicating that he was looking in all the wrong places. Malik frowned, standing next to Bakura and then following Bakura's gaze. "What? Somebody else manage to get to the cottage from Kraion?"
"If only we were so lucky. Walk towards the glade, Malik." He inclined his head towards the trees and then folded his arms over his chest. Malik sent him a suspicious look and then stepped forward. It was unlike Bakura to play games with him, especially so late in the night. Sighing patiently through his nostrils, he stepped forward a few feet and then a small shock to his body made him draw away in surprise. He pushed his hands out and spread them out onto the invisible barrier. "Somebody put a barrier up to keep us in. I've been analyzing it for the past few minutes. I doubt that Seto or I could get through it. It doesn't seem to affect the animals...Just humans."
"Really?" Malik murmured absently, placing his hands upon the barrier. "How interesting..." He released a small bit of power and the barrier lit up. He watched the play of violet, almost navy blue play throughout the barrier. He splayed his hands upon the barrier and then tilted his head, as if he were listening for something. "No...," he said suddenly after he remained in that position for some time, even after the barrier had faded once again. "No, I don't think either of you could. I question my own abilities in regards to this." He lifted his hands so only his fingertips touched it. "Come here and hit the barrier, will you?" Bakura obliged him, smacking the barrier with the palm of his head. Malik's eyes narrowed and his eyes moved to the side and then up. He was listening again and a few minutes passed before he lowered his hands and rubbed his forehead with a fist. "This barrier is encompassing our cottage. It's not the entire forest, but a very specific section."
"How far does it spread from our cottage?"
"About the same measurement all around," Malik answered, shrugging as though unbothered. "Somebody clearly did not want us to leave the forest. But..." He glanced towards the barrier uneasily. "We have been hoping that Mai is responsible for all this unexplained magic. Before this, I would have put money on it. But now? I can't be sure. This didn't feel like any magic, any...Dark Arts that she could have acquired. It's too deep. Too strong. Even if you couldn't have gotten through, I would have. I've been practicing the Dark Arts since I was a child. No matter how long she's studied, no matter how much she's worked for what she has, she would never be as good as me. No...This is someone else's doing. You're more infamous around here than I am and I doubt anyone gives a shit about Seto – do you have any other enemies?"
"Everyone hates me," Bakura stated simply, "but if there were someone this strong in Kraion that held an aversion for me, I would have known. I kept up with that, even after I retreated into the Forest of Dim."
"What about Anzu?" he quietly asked. "Do you suppose that she – "
"Don't be stupid, Malik," he snorted. "People probably bow down to kiss her shadow when she walks by. The barrier...I can sense a bit of Mai's magic in it – just enough – but there is something overshadowing it." He put his hands on it and then met Malik's gaze. "I've been trying to break through to her, but she had so many shields around her, some of them not even ones that she put up. She has a djinn, as well. As far as I could tell, he's not powerful enough to do something like this." He turned from him and dropped his hands. "I don't like this one bit."
"This is going to become problematic, Bakura, you know that. That princess is bound to notice something and will become even more antsy than she has been."
"She already knows of the barrier. She and I are the ones that ran headlong into it." He turned around completely and once again folded his arms over his chest. "Seto helped her escape tonight. If I hadn't set up a glass so that I could see and listen to the conversations outside the cottage I wouldn't have known about it. If that barrier hadn't been here, she would have succeeded. The girl knows where her allies lie and Seto seems willing enough to help her. She's smart, as much as I hate to admit it."
"That traitor...," Malik hissed beneath his breath.
"What did you expect, Malik? He feels no love for us." Bakura turned his eyes towards the cottage. "He feels some kindness towards her."
"I'm staying here for a bit longer," Malik abruptly said. "I want to see what I can figure out."
Bakura nodded and walked from the barrier, leaving him alone. He briefly reconsidered and turned, saying, "Face your nightmares, Malik. If you keep running from them, you'll never sleep again in your life." Malik whipped around furiously, ready to tell Bakura to keep out of his business, but Bakura had turned around. The last words he said before disappearing were, "Take my advice – I know." Malik stared after him, his anger draining from his body. It was the first hint that Bakura had ever thrown out about his previous life before the Forest of Dim, the slightest hint that at some point, Bakura had suffered from nightmares. What nightmares, he was unsure of, but for some reason it had calmed him somewhat.
Looking towards the barrier only released a new set of worries.
X
Anzu lay shivering in her bed. She was still clothed, both her own and Bakura's cloak covering her. Seto had graciously lit the fire in the hearth for her, yet no amount of warmth could stop her shivering. Her hands were cold and felt dry, the skin stretched taut over her bones. There was sweat on her face from the heat, her face itself being cool to the touch. She was frightened. There was no better term for it. Anzu could not recall being quite so afraid as she was now. Someone was watching them, there was no doubt in her mind about that. Why else would someone raise a barrier? She hugged the cloaks to her more securely and a pathetic noise rose in her throat. How long had their eyes been on them? What other powers did they have that could make even people like Seto, who never worried about anything, suddenly cautious? Who could possibly be so powerful to make Bakura get such a foreign, anxious expression on his face? Who could wipe out his cocky, smirking expression so quickly?
And who could bring a strong princess to such a trembling mess?
Anzu heard the door open and close. Her eyes widened and then she clenched them closed, quivering even more. She was sure that the entire bed was rocking from the movement. An irritated sigh sounded above the crackling of the fire and the blankets were jerked off her. "Get out from underneath there, girl," Bakura's rough voice snapped out. She hesitantly pulled the cloaks off of her head to face him. His mouth pursed. She knew how awful she looked with her pale, sweaty face. He turned away from her and his eyes darted around the room in search of something. He stood up and moved towards the bath tub and picked up a towel, returning to her a moment later. She pulled away as he moved closer. Scowling, he said, "Stay still!" and wiped her face. "You act as though there is someone prowling the house after you." She stiffened, which caused him to send her an exasperated, "Be serious," look.
"Bakura," she grabbed his wrist suddenly, not entirely aware of the action, "don't...don't try and act like nothing's wrong. You're worried. So is Seto. Please, I – I know I can't help you much, but don't keep me in the dark about things, especially this!" He jerked his wrist out of her grasp and violently tossed the towel on the bed, causing her some alarm.
"You want me to keep you informed about what's going on?" he spat caustically. "Just look at yourself! You're a wreck and all you did is get thrown to the ground and see a few currents in the barrier. You want me to be honest and tell you everything? Girl, you couldn't handle it and I think we both know that. I'm not going to show you any sympathy because you got what you deserved – you went running off into the forest to get back to your damned prince when you were warned not to do so. But, I am not going to do as you ask, either, because you would be putting a knife to your throat ten minutes later."
"How can you say such a thing?" Anzu cried, scrambling out of bed to face him. She was no longer trembling, too outraged at his words to even bother considering over why she had been afraid a moment ago. "How can you be so heartless? I'm stuck here with you three and you won't even treat me decently! You give me food, water, and somewhere to sleep! What's the good in that? What kind of life is this? And will you STOP calling me 'girl'!! I have a name, just like you or Malik do, so would you please just call me by my name rather than demeaning me, like I'm inferior than you?"
"Have you forgotten that you are inferior than me?" he sneered. "And at least you have a life rather than alternative."
"Oh, what a life this is!" she snapped, abruptly enraged and close to screaming. "Cooped up in a tiny little house with three men that don't even give a damn about me, what a great life I have! Death would be preferable to this and I'm not being funny when I say that!" They glared hatefully at each other and Bakura might have given her the preference of death if the door hadn't swung open just then. They both turned their attention to see who was there and said nothing to Seto, who stood silently in the doorway. His expression was devoid of any emotion, his taut mouth the only indication that he was annoyed with their raised voices.
"I'm not interested in hearing either of your little dramas," Seto told them with deliberate calm.
"I'm not interested in your fucking opinion!" Bakura snapped, having lost what little control he had regained since speaking with Malik. "You're only another one of my problems, so go occupy yourself elsewhere."
"I was trying to occupy myself," he said frostily, his eyes narrowing into a dark glare, "but you chose to interrupt me with your loud mouth."
The room was tense. Anzu was waiting to start screaming at Bakura again, knowing that he would say something even more offensive to her. Bakura, she saw, seemed to be debating on who he wanted to deal with first. Seto was simply waiting for some kind of indication on whether he was about to become involved in an unpleasant verbal fight. Nobody spoke, each of them looking from one to the other. At last, Bakura seemed to shake himself of his temper and thrust a hand towards Anzu, his fingers spread out commandingly. She glared at it in question and then recalled his cloak. Keeping her eyes on him, she moved to the bed and snatched his up and tossed it towards him, stepping back to stare at him in much the same way that Seto was.
"You should browse your memories to see if you can remember what it was that I said I was going to do to you if you tried escaping again," Bakura advised, an evil smirk lighting his features. She bristled, but was not given a chance for a rebuttal as he shoved past Seto in the doorway and left. Seto glanced at Anzu, as if to ask if she were okay and, seeming satisfied, he, too, left the room. After the door shut, Anzu collapsed on the floor and sobbed full, angry tears.
Why can't anyone just be honest with me about things? she demanded in her mind. Just because I'm a female doesn't mean I'm stupid or weak! So what if I had a brief moment of fear, Bakura, so what?!!
Bakura, on the other hand, had relieved himself of his anger from the encounter. He had moved downstairs and lit up the fire to the den to warm the house and after lighting a candle, settled himself at the table in the kitchen. He didn't want to be in his study, nor his rooms at the moment. He, like Seto, did not want to deal with her drama at the moment. However, he could feel no anger for her. Her reaction was logical enough, what with her rather sheltered life. She had not been in Kraion when he was court sorcerer and so knew very little about magic; nonetheless, she had felt the danger when looking at that barrier. Bakura was accustomed to danger and so were the other males. Anzu's interactions with danger had only begun when she found herself in the Forest of Dim.
Damn this girl, he thought irritably, shoving a hand through his hair and rubbing his skull where a dull migraine was beginning. I don't have time to protect some naïve princess. Clearly, though, we're going to have to educate her on some manners so she doesn't overreact the way she did. Another light shone on him from above him and he glanced to see Seto standing in the doorway. For a moment, they stared at each other and then Seto entered the kitchen. "Malik is at the barrier, inspecting it," he told him in a level tone.
"That would be a wise decision," Seto said mildly, "except that the barrier is more of a defense mechanism and he can do nothing when it comes to defense."
"He might not be able to do nothing, but he knows practically everything about the Dark Arts and as you saw, there is a good deal of dark energy in there." Seto chose not to respond immediately and in that time, Bakura turned his head and surveyed him with a narrow-eyed gaze. "What was your reason for helping her escape, Seto? Did you feel bad for her or did you just feel like pissing me off?" Seto's cold eyes stared back at him and he said nothing. Giving his eyes an aggravated roll, he blew out his candle and stood up, preparing to leave. As he passed Seto, however, the latter male finally spoke.
"Everyone in this cottage has lost something in their life, Bakura, even the princess." Bakura paused, not bothering to turn to look at him. "Have you considered that might be what motivates us rather than the hatred and revenge that you seek so greedily?" There was a strange note in Seto's voice that Bakura had never heard. Seto was fairly good at keeping emotions out of his voice. He turned his head slightly, his mouth thinning as an irrational fury rose up in his throat. Choking it down, he continued walking. "Or," Seto's sarcastic voice followed him, "are you just like us?"
For once, it was Bakura who did not answer.
X
Isis stopped Maelstrom in the middle of the glade and pivoted him around as Otogi and Yami came up to them. Jounouchi was riding behind Yami and Shizuka behind Otogi. It was agreed that they should not ride their horses through the forest because of the violent animals. There was a reluctant look on Otogi's face as they came up to her, which only showed how much he did not want to work with Isis in this. Of course, Isis did not blame him, though if he was uncooperative, they would never be able to find his sister. He will end up getting himself killed, she thought. He doesn't have enough magical training, whether it be the basic Arts or the Dark Arts.
She slipped off her horse as the others did. Jounouchi took Otogi's horse and Shizuka smiled as she drew forward, guiding Maelstrom back. They lingered behind with the animals while Yami and Otogi stepped closer to Isis. "I hope that things go well for both of you," Yami said, his sad eyes turning from Otogi to Isis. "Avoid conflict with Bakura and the others at all costs. If Anzu is not there, then come back. Your safety is your primary concern." Otogi sent him a resentful look to which Yami shook his head. "No, Otogi. I love Anzu, but I cannot afford to lose either of you, both because of politics and because we have already lost far too many humans in the Forest of Dim."
"I would die for my sister," Otogi snarled.
"And I would die for my little brother," Isis added quietly. She felt sympathetic towards Yami and especially his position. His father was practically incapacitated and if any political crisis did happen, he was the one responsible for it. By the looks his close friend, Jounouchi, had been giving him, his face did not always look so weary and depressed. Her eyes drifted towards the blonde servant who was peering at them with a frown on his lips, as if he could see Yami's expression from his position. She had spoken to Jounouchi and he explained that Anzu had been the one to ease all of Yami's troubles, to be his crutch when he was limping after coming from the battlefield. No matter what was happening, he could smile afterward as long as Anzu was there for him. Isis could not recall seeing Yami give a genuine smile in her time being in Kraion. It seemed that there was always some worry on his mind. "Prince," she said, stepping closer to Yami and putting her hands on his cheeks. He blinked in surprise. "If I die, I will rise as a spirit and deliver your fiancée to you. Your friends and your people want to see you smile yet again and I shall endeavor to do everything in my power to make it so that they are reassured."
"...Thank you," Yami said, removing her hands from his cheeks and clasping them for a moment. He smiled and it transformed his exhausted exterior, startling her. "If the world was kind, I would be able to smile all the time, but I take the small bits of kindness that people offer me." He released her hands and after nodding to Otogi, stepped away. "Good luck."
"And good luck to you, my prince," Isis said and turned towards the Forest of Dim. Otogi matched her quick, even pace and as they came to the trees, she queried, "Are you ready, my lord?"
"Completely ready," he answered grimly. She nodded and they passed through the trees and through the invisible barrier.
X
Anzu woke with an ache in her back and knees. When she rose up, her cheek tingled from numbness. She had fallen asleep on her floor in an awkward position. As she straightened, she stretched, wincing as her back popped. She fell back and stretched her legs before getting to her feet. She was a mess from her hysterics last night and her gown was wrinkled from sleeping on the floor. She stumbled across the room and intended to simply change into something else when she saw that someone had filled the bathtub with water. She stripped and stepped into the warm water, thankful for the cleansing feeling it gave her. She closed her eyes and slid down into the water, holding her breath for as long as she could, allowing it to ease some of the puffiness out of her skin.
When she resurfaced, she sighed and then scrubbed at her hair, face, and body. Once she was glowing pink and the sweat and dirt seemed to be off her, she stepped out of the tub, dried, and dressed. She rubbed at her hair with a towel and after it was mostly dry, she left her room. Downstairs someone was talking and by the smooth, liquid manner of the voice, she suspected it must be Malik. She quickened her step, recalling that Seto had told her he was going to wake Malik to have him check out the barrier last night. She emerged in the doorway and Malik paused in speaking, turning to look at her curiously. She glared at him warningly, which only made him raise his eyebrows.
"Sit down," Bakura ordered from his position by the bookshelf. His eyes were dark, full of angry emotions that caused her some alarm. "You wanted to be informed, didn't you? Well, sit your ass down and don't interrupt." Malik's eyes drifted from Anzu to him in question, but Bakura didn't even bother looking at him, keeping his gaze on her. Because Malik seemed confused and Bakura in a bad mood, she took a seat by Seto on the divan. Seto glanced at her in acknowledgement.
"In any case...," Malik slowly continued, "no magic that we can perform is going to pierce the barrier. As I said, I've tried every tactic there is. I know both the Arts and the Dark Arts and no offensive spell is able to lay it down. Most of the magic I have learned in Hoshäi has been passed through the ages. We know any new spells, but we also know nearly all of the ancient magic, too." Malik was situated by the fireplace, which had a low, calm fire crackling. One of his arms was resting on the mantle. He drummed his fingers along the stone and then said, "We're literally trapped here. It doesn't really matter since we've rarely ever left the Forest of Dim. There are still so many unknowns about this barrier of ours. Mai definitely had something to do with it – Bakura could sense some of her magic – but overall, there is a higher, darker power behind this. To be honest..." Malik looked to Bakura, frowning. "...I think that Mai might be manipulated by someone. She may not even know it."
Bakura, leaning against the bookshelf with his arms folded over his chest, appeared unwilling to offer any information or feedback. His dark expression only made him seem more foreboding. Anzu shrank against the back of the divan a bit. He had become the embodiment of the monster Kraion and Yami had spoken about. When she looked up at Seto, his eyes were trained on Bakura.
Bakura sighed, closing his eyes briefly in annoyance. "If that happens to be the case, we can safely assume that there are other things happening from that darker power."
"Such as the animals?" Anzu questioned hesitantly.
"Yes," he replied, barely looking at her, "but that only raises more questions that I'm not interested in answering at the moment. Our first priority is the barrier." Anzu opened her mouth to disagree and then thought better of it. She felt as if she had been cowed into submission by a mere look. She had always known there was a dark side to Bakura, but she had never really been as frightened of him before as she was now. "Once we manage to finish with the barrier, then we can focus on other problems, those being mainly Mai. All of this is centering around her. This will also mean that we will have to leave the Forest of Dim and enter Kraion."
"You can't enter Kraion," Seto bluntly stated. "The entire city will fall down on you in waves of humans. You won't get through that place in one piece and you're a fool if you think that you have the power to do so."
"Nobody said I was going to be open about it. You forget that I was court sorcerer and endeavored to find ways in and out of the city all the time. I know ways of getting through Kraion without being seen. This, too, is not something I deem worthy of worrying about at the present. I am more concerned with the barrier than that. I simply telling you what it is that we will have to do. Although I would prefer one of you to stay and keep the girl here, I can't do that as Seto is likely to go traipsing into the city with her in his arms, offering her as a gift to the prince and I need Malik with me." He paused for a moment. "But again, I can deal with that issue when we come upon it. For now, let us concentrate on the barrier. We will have to exercise all our powers to try and figure out a way through it. Or around it, if need be."
"The barrier likely penetrates the earth," Malik said with a small sigh. "If it's that strong, it's sure to go straight down."
"I don't plan on being stuck in this damned forest my entire life," Bakura snapped. "If I have to kill myself getting rid of that barrier, then I will, so long as it is gone and someone is given the chance to destroy that bitch apprentice of mine."
He pushed off the bookshelf and left the room, abruptly ending the conversation. Anzu kept her eyes trained on the ground, listening as he briskly walked to his chambers. There was a long silence after he left, the fire being the only sound in the room. She felt as if she were completely alone, with no one but herself in the cottage and that dark attitude of Bakura's. Neither Malik nor Seto seemed to desire any conversation and Anzu, frankly, did not want to hear any words being spoken at the present time. Whereas Seto was serious and logical and Malik seemed to be fairly troubled by his own thoughts, Bakura had always seemed the most carefree out of them all. Malik took the position of command more so than Bakura or Seto ever did. Today, however, she understood which of them was in control in the cottage. The deliberate way in which both Malik and Seto spoke made it clear that neither were willing to upset Bakura; simply the way Bakura had been speaking spoke volumes.
He truly was the one who would decide her fate.
The thought made her tremble. She had never been quite so frightened of a person before in her life. It seemed ridiculous to be so, yet at the same time she could not get the look on Bakura's face from her mind: deep, angry, and possessive. Somebody had torn his carefully laid plans apart and had upset his comfortable living situation in the forest and he was furious.
"Don't," Malik suddenly spoke from the fireplace. Anzu raised her head, startled by the break in silence. His eyes were pinned on her, a level expression on his face. "Don't get frightened. It will do you no good right now, princess." He turned his gaze to the fireplace where it crackled quietly. "You've been protected all your life – anyone in royalty has. There are evil things out there in life that can't be explained...and there are evil things in life that can be. The ones that can be are the ones to be cocky towards. The ones that can't are the ones you ought to be cautious about and take seriously. You're finally getting to see the monster that your people whispered about." He turned to Anzu, the firelight playing over his face, making his thin smile look menacing. "Believe them now?"
"Completely," she whispered.