Alverna: Here is chapter 11. And before anyone asks, me updating over the summer is going to be slim to none.
Marik: WHY?
Alverna: My parents are vultures when I get onto the computer. I'm not even updating from home. I'm at the public library.
Malik: Ouch.
Alverna: Yeah, now do the disclaimer.
Malik: She owns nothing but the plot!
Chapter 11: Good-bye Vivian
One hour later, Aknankanon figured out why you needed to keep Joey away from the kitchen. It was half way empty.
"Joey!" Ryou shouted when he came into the kitchen and saw the state it was in.
"What?" Joey stopped running from Malik to look at his albino haired friend. Malik had been chasing after Joey since he had left the throne room, and Joey had been eating as he ran threw the kitchen, and away from Malik. Although, how Joey managed to run and eat at the same time, none of his friends figured out. It was one of the mysteries of life best left unsolved.
"Gotcha!" Malik yelled as he jumped on top of Joey and pinned him to the floor, wrenching away the date he had in his hand.
"NO!" Joey screamed. "My date!"
"Not anymore." Malik growled as he leapt off the blond and raced out the door.
"I want my date!" Joey yelled as he ran after Malik.
"Sorry about the mess." Ryou said to the kitchen staff as he looked around, wincing at even more than usual dirty walls and surfaces.
"Is he always like that?" one of the servants asked.
"Unfortunately." Ryou replied.
Later in the day, court was in session. The topic, what to do with Vivian.
"She is going to die." Karim said. "There is no doubt about that."
"I agree." Shada nodded his head. "She has been disrespecting our laws for over four years now. Attempting to murder one of the high priests alone receives a death sentence."
The court had regathered after the midday meal, discussing what they were going to do with Vivian, who was being held, and in chains, by two guards outside the doors. Vivian's father, Lord Wong, had not spoken in his daughter's defense.
"How should she die then?" Isis asked.
"Does the necklace not know?" Aknadin asked.
"It shows a few ideas." Isis wrinkled her nose. "All gruesome."
"Sweet." Bakura grinned.
"You're sick." Mahad started at him.
"I know."
"We could skin her alive." Marik suggested.
"I'm bored with skinnings." Bakura complained. "Feed her to the lions instead."
"I actually would like High Priestess Isis and Servant Yugi to decide her punishment." Aknankanon spoke up.
"Huh?" pasted threw Yugi's mouth before he could stop it.
"It was you two that she harmed," Aknankanon explained, "so you two will decide her punishment."
"I'm not going to be of any help." Isis said turning a light shade of green. She hated deciding death punishments.
"Why not just throw her to the crocodiles?" Yugi shrugged his shoulders. "The nestlings are hatching, so the mothers' are going to be very protective and hostile."
A hush fell over the room. Who would have thought that the quiet, innocent one would have come up with such a gruesome idea?
"That's actually a good idea." Bakura said.
"Yugi, have been hanging around Bakura and Marik to much?" Atemu asked.
"Oi!" the two yelled.
"No my prince." Yugi responded.
"Bring Vivian in then." Aknankanon ordered.
The two guards brought in a struggling and screaming Vivian, who was dirty and looked nothing like a lady.
"Unhand me you dirty dogs!" Vivian screamed.
"Silence!" Aknankanon shouted.
Vivian instantly fell quiet. When the pharaoh shouted, whoever was on the receiving end was in big trouble.
"Vivian Wong," High Priest Seto read the charges from a scroll, "you are hereby charged with attempted murder of one of a High Priest of the pharaoh's court, and the near successful murder of the prince's personal servant. How do you plead?"
"Not guilty." Vivian declared hauntily.
"Doesn't she know that when you lie the punishment gets worse?" Marik muttered in Bakura's ear.
"She sees herself as an untouchable royal." Bakura answered. "She probably does know, but thinks it doesn't apply to her."
"Selfish bitch."
"No kidding."
"By the witnesses you have against you," Aknankanon decided, "we will conduct a trial by the Millennium Items." It was then that Vivian had the decency to look nervous. High Priest Karim stepped forward first.
"Using the Millennium Scales, I will judge the good and evil in your heart." Karim held the scales steady and they started to glow. After a few seconds, the glow faded, and the bowl on the left side tilted downwards, heavily. "There is great evil in your heart. Such evil that has been lying in wait for some time."
"It's not true!" Vivian screamed, and the scales tilted more against her favor. High Priest Karim stepped back, and High Priest Shada took his place.
"By the power of the Millennium Key, I will see into your souls and see if there is any existing unknown, darker evil, or of an unknown Ka." As the key glowed, Shada got a good look into Vivian's soul. It was completely black, with not a shred of light. The shape of a warrior took form in the darkness. "There is nothing but blackness, and the shape of a warrior which is her Ka." Shada moved aside as Aknadin stepped forward.
"With the Millennium Eye I will extract your Ka from you." As the process began, Vivian tried to resist, which resulted in her screaming in pain as her Ka was extracted, taking the form of Dragon Lady.
"I will now seal your Dragon Lady into a sealing stone." Seto said as he held up the Millennium Rod. "Millennium Rod, I beseech thee, seal this Ka into the stone." A flash of light later, Dragon Lady was inside the sealing stone, leaving Vivian gasping for breath on the floor.
"By the power of the Millennium Necklace I will look back into the past and project the image for all to see what happened that day." Isis said as she focused on her necklace.
Image Projection
"Priestess." Vivian approached Isis and Yugi in the hallway. "Have you see Atemu's new ser- There you are!"
"You have got to be kidding me." Isis muttered as Vivian pulled out a knife.
"Move!" Vivian demanded.
"I see no reason why I should." Isis said calmly as she pushed Yugi behind her.
"Because that brat is hiding behind you!" Vivian screeched. "He is stopping my Atemu from noticing me!"
Isis went into her own thoughts and Vivian used this distraction.
"So I will get rid of him once and for all!" Vivian screamed and lunged forward, bringing the knife down and Isis out of her thoughts.
Yugi pushed Isis out of the way before the blade hit her and took the blow instead. He screamed and fell to the floor as the Millennium Necklace pulsed with magic and pinned Vivian up against the wall.
"Yugi." Isis bent over to him. Already his eyes had closed and his breathing had grown rougher.
End Image Projection
"By the witnessing of this event I hereby declare you guilty of all charges." Aknankanon thundered. "You will be stripped of your title and executed tomorrow at dawn, by the means of being thrown to the female crocodiles of the Nile River."
"No!" Vivian screamed. "I'm supposed to be queen!"
"Take her away!" Aknankanon roared. Vivian struggled and started shouting a string of profanities at everyone in the room, before she was gagged that is. "Lord Wong, is there anything you wish to say?"
"No my pharaoh." Lord Wong bowed. "I had raised my daughter to be a lady. I never expected her to do this, but she has brought her fate upon herself."
"Very well then." Aknankanon nodded. "Court is dismissed for the remainder of the day. Those who are required to be at the execution will be informed tonight after the meal."
"Who do you think will need to be present for the execution?" Bakura asked as he munched on dinner. Seto, Marik, and Atemu were eating with him while Joey, Ryou, Malik, and Yugi ate at their master's feet. Another rule personal servants have to follow.
"The royal family and the high priest obviously." Seto said.
"Yeah," Atemu sighed. "They have to be present for everything."
"Who else?" Seto pondered.
"Lord Wong will have to be present." Marik said. "Though it is his daughter, he will hold his head high and not be shamed or disgraced by her actions."
"Some other Lords will probably be invited." Bakura grinned. "Probably to comfort Lord Wong, but I'm more interested in how much blood there's going to be."
At those words, Yugi and Ryou choked on their food, and got their backs slapped by their respected masters to help clear the airways.
"You two okay?" Atemu asked.
"Yes my prince." Yugi nodded his head. Ryou did the same.
"Bakura, keep the blood and gore talk down to nothing at the table. You too Marik." Seto glared at each of them.
"Why do I have to?" Marik whined.
"Because we are trying to eat." Atemu snapped.
"My prince, High Priest Seto, my lords," a servant girl stood in the doorway.
"What is it?" Seto said coldly.
"The pharaoh wishes to inform you that you are to be present at the execution tomorrow morning."
"Very well." Atemu nodded.
"My prince, your personal servant needs to be there as well."
All eyes turned to Yugi, whose head had popped up, and had turned deathly pale.
"Thank you." Atemu said and quickly dismissed the servant with a wave of his hand.
"Wonder why just your servant needs to be there?" Marik said.
"It's the law." Seto sighed. "Whenever someone is punished like this, by death, the one, or in this case, ones harmed by the soon to be executed are required to be there to confirm the death."
"Lovely." Atemu said with pure sarcasm.
"What's with the sarcasm?" Bakura asked. Atemu rarely did sarcasm.
"In case if you didn't notice," Atemu said with an eye roll, "Yugi turned very pale when he heard he was required to be present."
"Oh yeah." Bakura looked down at the table. "I'll shut up now."
"Best idea I have ever heard from you." Seto sighed.
"Will you be alright?" Atemu asked later. He and Yugi were walking down the hall to his chambers for the night.
"Yes." Yugi answered. "I'm just not a huge fan of lots of blood."
"Understandable." Atemu nodded. "Well, we're here."
Upon entering Atemu's chambers, Yugi stopped and gaped. The room was huge, with many other doors leading to different chambers inside the main one.
"I'll give you the tour tomorrow." Atemu said. "Right now we need to rest for tomorrow morning, so I'll just show you where you will be sleeping."
"Okay." Yugi said as he snapped out of his daze.
"Oh," Atemu paused by a door. "This is where I sleep. You'll need to wake me tomorrow morning and make sure I have my clothes and jewelry."
"I understand."
"Good." Atemu walked to the next door and opened it. "Here is where you will sleep. It's generally used for harem, but I've never had the urge, so I had it remodeled for you."
"Thank you." Yugi walked in and saw a bed. It was different from the ones in the healing chambers, but it was a lot better than a pile of straw and goodness knows what else on the floor. Next to his bed was a small dresser, about two feet tall, two feet across, and one foot back. Yugi could tell that was where his clothes were, day to day or sleepwear. On top of the dresser was a couple of flint stones and small oil lamp, its wick flickering with light.
"Sleep well." Atemu said as he closed the door.
'Well,' Yugi thought as he changed into a sleeping shendyt, 'after tomorrow morning, life should be just about perfect.'
Yugi felt something poke him in the back of the head. He rolled away from the touch, wanting to sleep some more. He got poked again.
"Go 'way Joey." Yugi mumbled as he swatted away the furry hand. Wait, furry? Yugi slowly opened his eyes to see something staring at him. Fumbling around, Yugi grabbed the flint on his dresser, and lit his oil lamp to see Kuriboh staring at him. "Kuriboh?"
"Kuri, Kuri!" Kuriboh cried seeing his master awake.
"What is it?" Yugi asked as he sat up. "It's not even dawn yet."
"Kuri." Kuriboh slapped a paw to his forehead.
"Am I forgetting something?" Yugi asked.
"Kuri." Kuriboh nodded.
"But what?" Yugi looked down trying to remember. "Oh! The prince wanted me to wake him!"
Kuriboh breathed a sigh of relief as Yugi pulled on a clean outfit and his sandals. Grabbing his oil lamp, Yugi walked out of his room and to the prince's chambers. For a few second, Yugi stood still in the doorway.
The room was bigger than the main part of the prince's chambers. There were a few doors that led to other rooms, but what had Yugi's attention was the bed. It was huge. 10 people could sleep on it and still have enough room to stretch in the morning no problem. There were crimson curtains hanging around the bed, hiding it's occupant from view.
Shaking himself, Yugi crossed over to the curtains and gently pulled them back. When he saw the prince, Yugi swore in his mind to this day, that his heart stopped, if only for a few seconds. The linen sheets covered the prince, but had been pushed down to his waist during the night, showing his toned arms, chest, and stomach. A peaceful expression was on his face.
Yugi really hated to wake him up, but it had to be done. Gently gripping the prince's shoulder, Yugi shook him. Atemu stirred a little, but didn't wake, so Yugi shook a bit harder. Atemu stirred again, but still didn't wake. Yugi groaned in annoyance and shook the prince as hard as he could while calling out his name. Atemu simply rolled over onto his stomach, completely oblivious to what was going on.
'How am I going to wake him?' Yugi thought. He had to get the prince up now, or they both were going to be late.
"Kuri?" Kuriboh appeared by Yugi.
"I need to wake him up Kuriboh." Yugi said to his Ka. "But he's just a stubborn as Joey. Wait. Maybe…"
Yugi got up, and after a little searching, which included finding the clothing closet, jewelry closet, relaxation room, study area, and finally the bathroom, Yugi had a small bowl of water and a couple of small towels in his hands. He had already gathered the clothes and jewelry and placed them in the room. Gently placing one of the towels under the prince's head, Yugi dumped the bowl of water on to him. Needless to say, it was very effective.
"Ai!" Atemu shot up and blinked his eyes. "Yugi?"
"You wouldn't wake up." Yugi said as he handed the prince the other towel.
"Why are you waking me this early?" Atemu asked.
"You told me to." At the prince's blinks, Yugi let out a small sigh. "Vivian's execution?"
"Oh right!" Atemu leapt out of bed and Yugi was thankful to every god in existence that the prince had a sleeping shendyt on. Even the prince's legs were well muscled. "Sorry Yugi, I'm not a morning person."
"You're actually a lot like Joey." Yugi said as he picked up Atemu's outfit and began to help him dress, trying very hard not to look at certain areas, his face was red enough. "Someone needs to dump water on him every morning or trick him with food in order to get him out of bed."
"I think Seto would like to know that if he hasn't found out already." Atemu said as he tied his sash over his sleeping shendyt. Hey, waste not, want not. "We'd better get to the throne room."
After everyone had gathered, the procession of people moved to the banks of the Nile, near the crocodile's nesting grounds.
"Vivian Wong." Mahad's voice rang out for all who had gathered to hear. "But order of the Pharaoh, you, on this day, shall be executed for your crimes against your land, and your people. Let your punishment be a lesson to all other."
"No!" Vivian screamed as she was pushed closer to her death by two guards. "I'm supposed to be queen! I'm supposed to rule!"
As the sun rose over the horizon, and with Aknankanon's nod, Vivian was pushed into the river, right next to a nest of new hatchlings. Yugi turned his head away and closed his eyes as the crocodile lunged at Vivian, her screams echoing in his ears. When the screaming stopped, Yugi turned his head forward again, but didn't open his eyes.
"Let it be known that this is what will happen to those who disobey my rule." Aknankanon boomed, and then lowered his voice. "And now let us return."
"Come Yugi." Atemu said in a slightly strained voice. Yugi turned around and opened his eyes, thankful to see farmland and not the river.
"Yes my prince." Yugi said and followed him back as the sun rose higher into the sky.
Alverna: End! And I know, the death scene sucked.
Yugi: Please review! -gives puppy dog eyes of doom-
Next Chapter: Plans for a road trip.