Chapter 11

With his mind racing, Yami sprinted towards the palace. "Yami! Yami, wait up! Yami, will you fucking slow down?" Jonouchi shouted as Yami sprinted past him. "Gods damn it! Wait up!"

The two men sprinted to the Nubian slave camp, skidding to a stop just short of the gate, kicking up a cloud of dust. Once the men were inside, they were bombarded with questions.

"My Prince, please say it's not true!" Mana pleaded, her eyes brimming with tears.

"I saw our king dragged through the streets with my own eyes!" Ryugi said.

"I've heard they already executed him!" a Nubian woman shrieked, as she buried her face into her husband's shoulder.

"I heard they're parading his severed head through the city on the end of a spike!" a man shouted.

"NO! That's not possible!" Yami shouted, shaking his head, refusing to believe what he was hearing.

Jonouchi hopped up on the pedestal, as silence descended over the Nubian slaves. "My friends. King Siamun is still alive! I saw him being carted away to prison," he said.

"But it's only a matter of time before the Egyptians slaughter him," Mana said in disgust, her arms folded over her chest.

"I've always imagined our King riding through the streets of Egypt in triumph. But now, we have no hope! When the King dies, so does Nubia," a woman said, her voice cracking as her husband wrapped his arms around her.

Yami hopped up onto the pedestal next to Jonouchi, his eyes flashing crimson. "No! Nubia will never die! It's alive in our hearts, as long as we still have faith," he said, his fists clenched.

Silently, he stepped down from the pedestal, and walked through the crowd. Take me in, my dreams recurring, once as cheerful as a childhood dance. Into one more delicious taste of freedom, one more longing backward glance at a life that was taken from me, Yami thought as he walked silently through the camp.

The Gods love Nubia, her beautiful lands, the golden fields, the radiant landscapes, the fertile soil, her gentle people, Yami thought as he dropped to his knees at the fence, his fingers gripping the fence. The pain of Nubia is only for the moment, after all. The desolate land, the suffering of her people,

her plundered treasures...it can all be undone.

Suddenly, Yami felt a gentle hand rest on his shoulder. "My Prince, the Gods love Nubia, their glorious creation can be seen everywhere. Their songs roll sweetly across the harvest plains," Mana whispered as she crouched down beside her Prince.

"The tears of Nubia can be washed into the river and will never be cried again," she said, her voice stronger, as Yami turned to look at her.

Yami jumped to his feet, determination burning in his chest. "The Gods love Nubia, we have to keep believing that they are with us. The scattered and divided, the scorched lands, we are still Nubia's heart," Yami said, as Mana flung her arms around the Nubian Prince.

Yami turned as he heard footsteps approach him. Soon, each and every Nubian slave were standing before their Prince, newfound strength and faith burning in their eyes.

"The fall of Nubia is but a minor event. The spirit of Nubia will always burn bright. Pharaoh can take our land, our treasure, our homes, hell he can even take away our freedom. Even though our flesh is torn apart, and we are beaten until we are black and blue, Pharaon can NEVER take away our faith!" Jonouchi shouted as the slaves cheered and roared.

"The Gods love Nubia, we just have to keep believing that fact. Though scattered and divided we are still Nubia's heart, the spirit always burning, even though the flesh is torn apart," Yami said softly.

"My Prince, how are we going to get to the King? We must get him out of jail before the Egyptians kill him," Ryugi said as he stepped forward.

Yami was silent, as Jonouchi stepped forward. "I have it all figured out. I have a contact at the prison," Jonouchi said to the assembled men.

Yami stared through the fence, his mind racing between thoughts of his father and thoughts of Atemu.

"So, we are set then?" Jonouchi asked as the men nodded in agreement, and retreated back to their huts, leaving Yami and Jonouchi with their thoughts.

"You do realize what we are going to do is hella dangerous, right?" Jonouchi asked, turning to Yami. "My Prince? Did you hear me?"

"What? Oh, yes, I know it's going to be dangerous, but it's the best plan we've got," Yami mumbled, as the two men approached the gate of the Nubian camp.

"My Prince, go back to the palace. Go back to Princess Anzu before she get suspicious, I'll be right behind you," Jonouchi said, gently pushing Yami through the gate.

Silently, Yami nodded and headed towards the palace, silently praying to the Gods that both his father as well as the man that had become his greatest love were both safe.

And, with that, Act I comes to an end. Will the Nubians be able to set their King free? Stay tuned to find out...As always, I don't own Yugioh or its characters, nor do I own Aida, its music or its characters. Read & review, let me know what you think...