V.E.: YES, I KNOW! It has been a long time since I have updated this story. You can chalk that up to depression, lack of will to write, interest in other projects, and college work. I had to schedule to take my exams a week early (One of which, I'm pretty sure I bombed) so I could fly out to my older brother's wedding. A part of me still debates whether it was completely worth it, as I hate travelling with a passion.

Still, I left you with a hell of a cliffhanger and even though I'm losing my passion to write for Yugioh, I promised I would finish this and Fate or Something Like It before I cut my ties with it entirely. For the record, this story will definitely be going on longer as I haven't each reached Aknamkamon's death, Thief King Bakura's emergence, and one of the main sources of conflict in this story, the question of who Kisara will marry. But I'm getting ahead of myself, as Seto has finally appeared AND…well, I'm not entirely sure how mad you guys are going to be that I'm introducing him yet I'm not allowing him to really interact with Kisara just yet.

Quote: "It's easy to impress me. I don't need a fancy party to be happy. Just good friends, good food, and good laughs. I'm happy. I'm satisfied. I'm content."- Maria Sharapova (I completely agree, I'm never good at parties.)

Even though she was in her room (the mural of the beautiful banks of the Nile along with the safety of her own private space that had up until that point had always been a place that she could calm down), Kisara's hands refused to stop shaking. Despite it having been a few hours, despite having spent the time trying to review what she had learned during her last lesson, her pale white hands refused to still themselves on her desk.

She just couldn't compose herself. This wasn't a situation she had ever prepared herself for. In fact, she had accepted riding away that night so long ago that the chances of her meeting her savior were slim to none.

And yet…

Seto.

He had been there, right in those halls only a few hours ago. It was too strange, too surreal that all she could really do was stare as she caught his eye.

She might have broken her composure if Atem hadn't been there, who while didn't say anything, seemed to have noticed his older adoptive sibling was not all there listening to him. Even though that lesson had been drilled into her since almost day one, she had almost broken one of the core tenements of her new life: never show what you feel on the outside.

But surely you could have let your guard down for him. You knew each other before this.

Kisara shivered as she knew very well what Nephthys would say in her situation. No, no she couldn't have just done it. For one, he DID know her from before all this. He knew her as the weird looking slave girl that, by rescuing, was indirectly responsible for the destruction of his village. Who knows how he felt about her, especially considering he knew about her dragon. Up until now, the only people who had known about her Ka's power had been the Pharaoh, the Sacred Guardians, and Mahad. Would he possibly reveal her power to everyone, letting her lose whatever semblance of a life she had made when most would abandon her out of fear?

She shivered. Perhaps it was an unreasonable fear in her current situation as royalty, but rejection had been something she had been all too familiar with in the past. Even though she had no certainty on it, it may have what led to her being abandoned by her parents in the first place.

Then there was the simple fact that she had only known Seto that one night. In fact, she wouldn't have even gotten his name if she hadn't thought to ask as she was riding away. And she was pretty sure she didn't give him her name. Her last image of him was of his awe struck eyes looking up at her dragon.

Now that she thought about it, what was he doing here? And he looked almost unrecognizable in those clothes! If it weren't for his eyes and shocked expression, she might have been able to think it was her eyes playing tricks on her.

The main thing that had been going through her mind was still there; what should I do about this?

Before her thoughts could spiral even further in panic, a few sharp resounding knocks on her door brought her out it. Taking a deep breath, she calmly answered.

"Yes, who is it?"

"It's me, Princess. It's almost time for the banquet and Lady Nephthys asked me to escort you to the hall."

Kisara relaxed at her personal servant's voice as she stood up.

"I'll be right there Kiya."

Making her way to the door, her face seemed to regain its regular color so that when she opened the door, the young maidservant that had a pink headscarf that covered her hair couldn't see a trace of the small mental breakdown the snow white princess had been dealing with just moments ago.

What she did not expect was to find that the young servant holding a very familiar feline, that did not look happy about it.

"That's strange, what's Neftis all angry about?"

Kiya answered as she walked over to the Princess' bed, setting the cat down gently before speaking to it sternly.

"Miss Entitled here got into the kitchen and almost ruined one of the big fish dishes. One of the head cooks was not happy. Now, you better stay here for the rest of the feast, got it?"

Neftis meowed indignantly, flopping on the bed with her tummy up as if demanding a rub.

Kisara chuckled uneasily.

"I think that if she really wants to, she'll probably sneak out and find her way to the food."

The mousey servant girl did not look happy.

"Let's hope not."

Kisara smiled as she made her way over to the bed and gave her beloved (and at times, very lazy) pet a few belly scratches.

"I'll be back with scraps if I have any."

That seemed to the please the pale feline as she gave a delighted meow.

Her chat with the cat done, Kisara walked towards the doorway with Kiya accompanying her as she made it out and the door shut. Kiya seemed to glance back, shaking her head.

"I swear, whenever you talk to that cat, it's like you really understand what she's thinking."

Kisara smiled as she answered the two of them making their ways down the hall.

"Oh, cats like Neftis are pretty easy to understand. It's people who are difficult to get reading on."

Kiya seemed to consider that statement as the two of them walked.

"I think that would depend on the person. Before I came to the palace, I knew practically everyone in my neighborhood and all the gossip and stuff. The palace, on the other hand….."

Her princess sighed.

"I know that what you mean, believe me I do."

The servant looked a t her with a sharp look in her eye.

"Hey, I'm pretty lucky right now, all things considered. I'm more worried about you, Princess."

"I can handle myself, Kiya."

Kiya's eyes diverted to the side as she said that.

"I know you can. It's just…."

That caught Kisara's attention, almost enough to divert her mind completely from her hallway encounter earlier.

"Kiya, is there something going on? Something I should know about?"

The mousey servant seemed to realize exactly what she had just said and tried to backtrack.

"Oh, please Princess! It's nothing to worry about! Nothing at all."

Kisara, on the other hand, was not willing to let this go, her voice firm.

"KIYA…."

The handmaiden gulped without realizing him before giving in.

"It's nothing truly substantial, but….there have been some troubling rumors."

"What kind of rumors?"

Kiya shook her head, the pink head scarf moving with her.

"Well, more like whispers than rumors. There's been some talk about something going on out in the old royal tombs."

"Grave robbers?"

"Not exactly. I overheard some of the magicians talking about they had to redo some of the spells because someone has been setting them off. Nothing was taken, mostly the culprit just sprayed some weird drawings on the walls."

Drawings or a code? The princess felt inclined to press further.

"Anything else?"

"Not really, like I said nothing was taken. But one of the magicians said he had seen something like this before, but it had been a long time and that the group responsible for those things hadn't been active since before the Crown Prince was born. It just really doesn't make sense to me."

Kisara had to agree with her. Who would break into a royal tomb, facing death at best or cursed for this life and the next at worse, setting off the spells, and not take anything? That brought up a question she immediately asked.

"Did the spells affect the perpetrator? I remember Nephthys telling me how some spells could mark the person they touch."

"No, the magicians didn't think so. They're just as baffled as I am."

That left Kisara even more puzzled, wishing that she could have gone into more detail with her old magic lessons with Nephthys. That doesn't make any sense. For someone to be able to set off the magic and not be affected, they would either need to be someone who knew that those spells were there beforehand or a powerful magic user that could sense them. But if that person did know those spells were there, why not avoid them and not alert anyone? Unless…

"Princess?"

Kisara turned, not realizing she was still walking.

"Yes?" KONK!

Without realizing it, the young Princess had walked straight into the wall with her head turned, being rewarded with her crown a little out of place. The pressure forcing her back, Kisara winced rubbing the impact area.

Kiya's eyes widened as she exclaimed like a worrywart.

"Are you alright your highness?!"

Kisara held up a hand to her, the other adjusting her silver cobra crown back into its proper position.

"I'm fine Kiya."

"Are you sure?"

She nodded curtly to the servant.

"Yes."

Kiya didn't look convinced, but she pointed around the corner.

"If you're sure. The door to the banquet hall is over there."

Kisara smiled as the two made their way over to the grand door, the attending guards standing up straighter as their princess walked by them.

"Believe me Kiya, I am well aware of where the door to the banquet hall is after living here and enjoying as many celebrations as we have."

The two made their way to the big doors, Kiya bowing to her princess.

"I better return to the kitchens and see if my help is further needed. I shall see you before you retire for the evening."

Kisara waved her hand as she shook her head.

"No, I get the feeling I'll be turning in pretty early. I'll stay for the announcement of the new apprentice and a bit after that, but….I'm not feeling like I'm in a big partying mood."

That got the servant girl's attention.

"Did something happen earlier?"

The princess' eyes became downcast before she resumed her normal position.

"I'd….rather not talk about it. I'll see you tomorrow Kiya."

Kiya looked concerned, but bowed.

"As you wish."

The servant got up from the position, walking off to the side on her way to where the servants would be. Kisara took a deep breath before she caught the eye of the guards who opened the doors for her. She walked through the opening with as much confidence as her time as a princess had allowed her to build up.

The banquet hall, especially during a grand feast or festival, was always a sight to behold. A huge room that felt just a tad smaller than her home village was, the high ceilings, richly decorated walls, and the distinct areas for those of the nobility, priesthood, scribes, soldiers, and those of the high court including the Sacred Guardians and the Royal Family; it seemed to summarize what Egypt was to Kisara. A couple of dancers were performing along with accompanying musicians on the harp, flute, sistrum, drum, and more. Many people had gathered, talking, laughing, or drinking. There were many dishes of fish, bread, vegetables, and the occasional dish of pork or beef (rare in any place outside of the Court in Egypt) along with some of beloved figs, dates, and grapes.

Kisara smiled at the general liveliness of it all, even though she preferred to keeps things smaller and more intimate she knew it was good to have these kind of things for big events. Her eyes roamed until she saw her foster father and brother up where the royal family was to be seated. She smiled, making her way through the room while other whispered about her as she walked past. Even after being at the center of court for some time, she still turned many heads by just walking past a person.

Finally, she made it to the front and sat down at the left side of her father with her brother at his right. She gave a small smile.

"Good evening. Have I missed anything?"

Pharaoh Aknamkamon shook his head indulgently at his adopted daughter, glancing at her intently.

"Nothing of great importance. Although, I'm rather surprised. You're usually quite punctual at these events, Atem was worried something might have happened."

Atem nodded, his gaze full of obvious concern.

"Yeah Kisara, are you feeling okay? Earlier you were kind of…"

Kisara shook her head and smiled, taking a fig from the table.

"I'm fine, just a little tired."

Her brother didn't look overly convinced as spoke.

"Well, if you're tired shouldn't you…"

His sister interrupted him firmly.

"Atem, it is important that I be here when the new Sacred Guardian is introduced. This is a very special event for the Court and as princess it is important that I be here. Even if I'm not one for these big celebrations, I believe I've told you this before."

Atem cringed at his sister's tone, Kisara's voice softened as she resumed speaking before turning to the pharaoh.

"Don't worry, I don't intend to push myself to stay the rest of the night, but I do need to stay here for the presentation and I plan to stay a little after that. Will that be alright?"

The pharaoh smiled, a habit that seemed to be exclusively reserved for this children.

"I should wonder how you found about that when I tried to keep it a surprise, but considering your friendship with Mahad and Isis I'm not that shocked. That should be fine, I know you're not particularly comfortable with these types of events my dear."

Kisara nodded, taking small bites out of the fig she had grabbed while chewing slowly to taste the sweetness of the fruit. She loved fruit that she first tasted when coming to Egypt, something that she shared with Mana whenever there were spare grapes or plums to be found. It really was a pity she couldn't be at the banquet, the mage in training was like a bundle of energy that could be quite contagious.

As she finished the fig, she nibbled on some bread while Atam looked at his sister with some disbelief.

"You know Sis, when I see you eat like that I worry you're not feeling well so you don't want to eat as much."

The white haired princess swallowed what she was eating before she answered.

"Just because I don't shove things down like I won't see it again if I don't eat it quickly, doesn't mean I'm not hungry. You really need to be more careful about your table manners Atem."

"But it's so good!"

Aknamkamon sighed, having to deal with a rather unusual bout of the two disagreeing.

"Kisara, don't nag your brother; Atem, she's right, take the time to savor your food not inhale it. Otherwise, you might end up choking on it one of these days."

The two responded together at his words, somewhat chastised.

"Yes, Pharaoh/Father."

Kisara's eyes once again roamed around the room, seeing Nabirye and the rest of the girls talking with each other (Ain saw her watching and shot her a sweet smile) along with several of the young magicians in training (with Bari at the center of the commotion telling some bawdy jokes) not too far away. At the back of the banquet hall, she saw the blind priest Issa that had presided over her coronation with his attendant pouring him a drink of wine. Even though his eyes reflected nothing, he seemed to smile and nod in her direction.

After a little more searching, she saw Isis not too far away who looked very polite with several of the magicians in training trying to strike up a conversation with her (and flirting very badly if guessing by the young woman's expression).

Kisara rose from her seat as she bowed her head to Pharaoh Aknamkamon.

"Excuse me, I think Isis needs a rescue."

The pharaoh nodded at her to go ahead as the white haired princess walked across the hall. Stopping once she got to where her friend was, she cleared her throat gaining the attention the young men.

"Excuse me, mind if I borrow Isis? Girl stuff and all."

The two young men bowed their heads to the princess and responded in kind.

"Of course Princess!"

"We'll talk later Lady Isis!"

The two cleared way as Isis gave them a small wave of goodbye. Once they were at a safe distance, Isis' face relaxed as sighed and turned to her white haired friend.

"Your timing is impeccable, thank you."

Kisara smiled slyly.

"Oh please, you'd do the same for me."

Isis smiled just as slyly, seeming to mull the thought over.

"Oh, I don't know about that…"

"You know, when I see the two of you talking with each other, I always get worried."

The two girls turned to find Mahad right there, with Shada and Karim right beside him. Her magician friend looked rather nervous as he finished.

"It makes me feel like you're sharing some bad joke about me behind my back, Kisara."

Kisara shot an overly sugar sweet smile.

"Mahad, I wouldn't do that to you."

Karim chuckled at that, putting a hand on the shoulder that was closest to him.

"Yeah Mahad, you do pretty well at embarrassing yourself on your own."

Mahad leveled an eyebrow at his fellow apprentice in training.

"Remind me how we became friends again?"

Shada seemed to think about that question in a matter of face tone as the other two seemed to shot each other dark looks.

"I believe it happened that day when both Karim and I overslept for class during our first year of training. You lent us your notes to copy and in thanks you set loose one of your father's hounds on Bari's room."

Karim covered the bald headed magician's mouth quickly, turning his head quickly as if to make sure that no one heard that.

"What part of 'Never speak of that incident again or else my father will kill me', do you not get?"

Mahad rolled his eyes at Karim's drama.

"Karim, you're his only son and his successor. I doubt he'd kill you."

"You have never seen my father angry, have you?"

Isis piped up with her own comment.

"If he's anything like my aunt, I think I can imagine. Good to see you, Shada and Karim."

Shada bowed his head respectfully while Karim simply smiled and Mahad avoided the future seeress' eyes.

"Good evening to you Lady Isis. You as well, Your Highness."

Kisara did the same for the young apprentice.

"Thank you Lord Shada. I apologize I have not gotten the chance to know you and Lord Karim better."

Karim waved off her concern with a smile.

"Oh, it's nothing Princess. Getting to finally meet you is a pleasure in itself."

Mahad pinched the bridge of his nose, his tone rather annoyed.

"He would not stop complaining until I introduced him and Shada to you. Even after I told him you obviously had more important things to do."

Karim gave his fellow apprentice a quick jab in the arm.

"Hey, try not to badmouth me too much in front of the royalty."

Shada sighed.

"Karim, do us a favor and don't talk in front of the Princess. I'm your friend and even I have difficulties refraining from strangling you on a daily basis."

"Don't be so serious Shada."

"Someone has to remind you to be."

Karim looked ready to shot off an angry retort at his friend before the resounding sound of the several guards banging their spears into the ground, calling attention to the Pharaoh Aknamkamon standing with his stern royal expression that quieted down all of the commotion as it was obvious that their divine king wished to say something. The small group of young individuals held silent as they waited for the pharaoh to speak.

As expected, the pharaoh began to speak with Atem at his side with an unreadable expression on his face.

"My loyal court, I hope you have been enjoying tonight's grand feast and entertainment."

Several of the people gathered began clapping and some were verbally expressing their enjoyment until the pharaoh raised a hand for their attention once again.

"Now many of you might be wondering what brought on this celebration. Today, Priest Khalid formally stepped down as the wielder of the Millennium Rod."

That certainly got a reaction out of most of the Court, most of them murmuring in surprised tones before Aknamkamon continued.

"As many of you are aware of not too long ago, Priest Khalid took on a student and it was only recently that he passed his final trials. As such, he saw no reason to delay passing on the Rod to the next generation of Sacred Guardians."

Looking off to his side where another entrance to the dining hall was, he beckoned knowingly.

Who stepped out of there made Kisara catch her breath and made her understand the situation immediately.

There was Seto with Master Khalid by his side, walking in his white and blue robes and headdress, gold lining them and glinting in the light of the torches. He faced the room with a look of sternness and pride, seemingly ignoring the looks of curiosity, spite, and unsureness that the rest of the people in the room were shooting at him. Atem also was looking at him, as unsure as he was when they had seen each other in the hallway.

But the thing that no one could miss was the golden Millennium Rod that was held in his hand, which put the pieces together for the white haired princess.

"May I present the newest Sacred Guardian, Priest Seto. Though from a humble background, his talent and hard work have seen him to be become the youngest Sacred Guardian on record. He will be spending most of his time on his duties as the new Wielder of the Rod, but he will also be sitting in on some of the magic lessons to get a better understanding of those who he will be working with in the future. Please, welcome him."

Catching the blue haired young man's eyes, Aknamkamon motioned to him once again, this time the young master of the Item moving further into the banquet hall. With Khalid trailing behind him, Seto soon became mobbed by a wide variety of nobles, priests, and magicians in training.

Though a little bit of a distance from where the crowd was gathering, the small group of the future Sacred Guardians and the only Princess could see the new Millennium item wielder just fine. Khalid went with the "curious" approach as she cocked his head to get a better look.

"He doesn't look so bad."

Mahad's face, on the other hand, was stony with dislike.

"I don't like him."

Shada shot a frank look at the brunet magician.

"You haven't even spoken one word with him."

"Don't need to. His attitude is clear even from here."

Isis sighed, motioning the young men to follow her.

"Well, no time like the present. Come on, we should go introduce ourselves."

Khalid and Shada followed right behind her, with Mahad lingering before turning to Kisara.

"I'll see you tomorrow."

She nodded with a smile to him.

"You too."

Mahad gave her a smile before it fell as he walked towards the huge crowd, Khalid talking while Seto seemed to be mainly standing there. Kisara walked closer to the wall, her back turned to the magnificent painting of the dancers and to her right was a just as beautifully painted vase.

She just stood there, leaning against the wall. With everyone's attention focused on the new priest, the presence of the princess seemed to phase out of their attention. Not that Kisara minded in the least, especially when it had caught her attention as well. Alone with her thoughts and concerns, she had no idea what she was supposed to do now.

Figures, I get to see him again and things are like this.

"Lost in thought, my dear?"

Kisara was startled out of her thoughts and turned to her left, her body straightening out as she turned to find Vizier Shimon with a smile on his face. She smile in return.

"A little bit, sorry."

The old man waved her worries as he glanced form her to the new Sacred Guardian.

"Don't be Princess. I, of all people, know what it's like to get lost in my thoughts these days. Not going to greet our newest member of Court?"

Kisara scrambled for an excuse while keeping her face calm.

"I'll….save my greetings for when I'm less likely to be turned over by a mob."

Shimon chuckled, stroking his beard.

"Yes, I can see why you might want to avoid the crowd with that excuse. Anyways, I heard you weren't going to stay here long tonight so I wanted to pass on a request from the Pharaoh."

She responded in interest.

"What is it?"

"He wishes that you come to the Great Hall tomorrow and sit with him and Prince Atem when the petitions come in."

Kisara was utterly confused.

"Why? I know Atem is there so he can learn from the Pharaoh for when he ascends the thrones, but why would I need to be there?"

That seemed to make Shimon a little bit nervous as he spoke next.

"Well….I can't say I understand everything the Pharaoh is thinking, but perhaps you'll see for yourself tomorrow."

One of her eyebrows raised at the elderly priest/vizier.

"Vizier Shimon, there's something you're not saying."

He shot her an apologetic smile.

"Forgive me Princess, but I've been expressly forbidden to say anything further and not just to you. I'll make sure that your servant will get you up in time to prepare."

"I'll probably be up before then."

That got a laugh out of the old man as he walked away, leaving her with the information that she would be spending tomorrow in the Grand Hall. Where she would be right beside her adoptive brother watching Pharaoh Aknamkamon govern Khemet. Where all the Sacred Guardians would watch as well.

Including their newest member.

Kisara groaned, her body leaning back towards the wall and slanted towards the vase.

"When did my life get so complicated?"

"I don't know. Want some cake? It's really really good."

Kisara shot up surprise, her eyes looking down to find Mana peeping out of the vase holding a bunch of sweets in one of her arms while snacking with her free one. Still chewing the last bit of a honey (which could be heard by how her voice in that her mouth was still chewing), the little magician swallowed the sweet before using that hand to get one of the other cakes and held it out to Kisara.

Kisara, on the other hand, was not amused.

"MANA, what are you doing here?! You know you're banned from these feasts!"

The little girl shrugged, still holding the honey cake.

"I know, I just wanted to get some sweets is all. I mean, they're usually good, but on feast days they taste even better. Don't you want one?"

Kisara sighed, holding out her hand.

"Give me that. And get out of the vase."

Mana did so, the white haired princess taking the cake with one hand and grabbing Mana's now free hand with her own, dragging her by the tables and quickly eating the small cake (feeling a little hypocritical but this was a special case.

The sudden movement definitely unsettled the young girl, trying to keep all of her small honey cakes form falling.

"Hey, where are we going?"

"I'm taking you back to your room before anyone sees you and assume you're pulling some prank. Remember what happened last time?"

Mana's expression was clear that she did.

"Yeah, remind I can't set Nabirye's wig on fire again?"

"It's called being the better person Mana, it makes you mature when others aren't."

Kisara almost got to the door holding the girl's hand (who surprisingly hadn't lost of any of the honey cakes she had filched) when she caught Seto's eyes on her from the middle of room, amidst a crowd of other people.

It was a look that said he saw everything; her dress, her silver jewelry, especially her crown.

It was the look a man who had also put things together. It was asking, begging, pleading what to do next.

She resolutely flinched away. She couldn't help him now, he had to survive on his accord. Even though….

Mana seemed to pick up on her big sister figure's turmoil as they left the banquet hall.

"Kisara….is something wrong?"

Forcing herself to remain calm and not look back as they walked through the maze that were the palace hallways, she answered the young girl.

"It's nothing Mana."

Nothing at all.

V.E.: Yes, I know, you all hate me for taking so long and for not letting those two speak. Please don't be too mad though, it took me awhile to update this.

Let's check the word…over 5000! (Sighs) Why is it that outlines always seem shorter? Oh yeah, because I add stuff while I'm typing (though some of additions can be genuinely funny, just take a look from my BEC days).

PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW.

I think I've got Child of Ice next so I'll you guys later!