Disclaimer: Don't own Yugioh

And so, after the longest hiatus ever, I'm back! I thought I'd never touch this story again, what with how busy I've been in the last two and a half years, and because of low motivation, but, oddly enough, it was a dream that inspired me to start writing again, and the words came easily to me this time around. I rewrote this chapter, and parts of the old Chapter 25 will become Chapter 26, with some changes added. For those of my old readers who are still active, please leave a review; I've missed hearing from you. And for any new readers, I hope you enjoy! And please leave a review as well, I'd love to hear what you have to say :)

My eyelids fluttered open as I heard two soft voices talking to each other. The room was filled with flickering torchlight. As I rubbed my eyes, Isis and Karim's faces came into view.

"Ah, you are finally awake," Isis said. "You must have been exhausted!"

I yawned. "It's been quite the day."

"Yes, Karim told me all about it, and now it's all over the palace," she replied matter-of-factly. "Seto is not pleased at all, and neither is Meta."

I pressed my nails into my palm. "Well, to the shadows with the both of them!" I murmured fiercely. "I don't care anymore."

"But you should care, Jasana," Karim said. "You must take especial care, now that this has happened."

I sighed and massaged my forehead. "Dear Aset…" I groaned.

"First, take a bath to refresh yourself. Isis will go with you, while I go to the kitchens and get you something to eat. I will meet you in your anteroom, and we will talk there." Seeing my gaze fall on Mahado's face, he finished assuringly, "Lady Aseneit will make sure that the guards in the medical wing are attentive. He will be safe."

Surprised as I was by Karim's unusual assertiveness, I was too exhausted to question his commands. I lethargically rose to my feet and followed Isis and him to the door.

As we approached my chambers, we heard Meta's voice ringing with rage.

-"your orders were to keep the Princess IN. HER. ROOMS! You imcompetent idiots! Now that wench has ruined everything!"

"And exactly what have I ruined, Lady Meta?" I asked as Isis and I slipped into the room.

Meta whipped around to face me, as quick as a cobra. Tense silence hung in the air as we glared at each other. Finally, Meta waved her hand imperiously and commanded, "Ladies, leave us."

"Pardon me, Lady Meta," I said, forcing myself to be polite. "But I believe that these are my rooms, and therefore I should be the only one giving orders to my companions. Ladies, I bid you to stay."

The Sisters, who had been walking towards the door, stopped in confusion, not sure of whose orders to follow.

Meta snarled, absolutely furious. I merely looked back at her, never breaking eye contact. She opened her mouth to speak, but I regally raised my hand to silence her, just as I had seen Father do to me. "You are dismissed, Lady Meta." I was surprised at how calm and quiet my voice seemed to be. "Get out of my rooms."

"Think you can order me around, do you now, Princess?" Meta said waspishly. "Think you are higher than me now, and that I can't touch you anymore?"

"I don't think these things, I know them," I boldly retorted.

Meta laughed: a wild, high-pitched sound, one that would belong to a madwoman. "You underestimate me! I still have the power to render your life completely miserable," she threatened, her voice rising with anger.

"I would like to see you try," I said sarcastically. With the exception of Aramen, who was gazing at me admirably, the Sisters gasped, scandalized that I could talk to Meta thusly. Teraset looked as livid as Meta. "And you are wasting my time, I told you to get out."

"I'm not going just yet!" Meta snapped. "I'm not through with you, Sahm-Aset!"

"That may be so, but I am through with you and your calling me 'Sahm-Aset'. I am giving you two options: either you get out right now on your own will," I conjured a thousand daggers, and they all gleamed menacingly at her, "or my daggers will drive you out."

"Just watch," Meta hissed. "Once Mahado recovers you will never see him again, and you will marry Seto. Let's see if you're still so bold and cocky then."

"As my father said to you earlier today," I said, my voice falsely sweet, "I beg to differ."

With that, I gave the signal, and my daggers soared towards her. Her eyes bulged, and she turned on her heel and ran out of the room. Her shriek of terror mixed in with the Aramen and Isis's uncontrollable laughter. I followed behind her, urging my conjured daggers onward, but just enough to keep her running; I made sure that they would not touch her at all.

As Meta ran out of the anteroom, her shoulder rammed against the doorpost, and she stumbled and fell onto the floor. I swung the big wooden doors inward. Just before I closed them, I said, "Oh, and by the by, you would do very well to get this straight into your thick head and stop denying it like you have for all these years." I looked steadily into her spiteful eyes. "Mahado loves me, and I love him. We belong together, and nobody can stop us from being together, not even you." And with a great measure of triumph, I swung the doors shut in her face.

"It's high time you did that," Isis said triumphantly.

"I know." I replied as I smugly savored the flavor of the lamb.

"I disagree." Karim said tersely. We both cast questioning looks at him. He explained, "Matters have already been strained between you and Meta- and now, with what you have done, they are at the breaking point. In fact, what happened to Mahado is proof of this. Now she is bold enough to make an attempt on his life, on your life, or any of ours, for that matter.

"And this is why you not only need to care, but why you need to be careful. Meta still holds great influence with the court, and with your father. She will not let this insult pass lightly. Also, with lives now at stake, this delicate game we're playing just became more complex and dangerous."

I shivered at his intensity. "So what happens now?"

"I am going to request a proper inquiry into the attempt on Mahado's life tomorrow. I warrant that with time, the trail will lead to Meta, and to her ruin."

"But it will not be easy to link Meta to the crime, Karim. She will try to make this seem like a random crime. And for all we know, it could have been," Isis warned.

"What if it wasn't?" I interjected. "And tell me, Isis, do we not know of at least one person who would be glad to see Mahado dead- specifically, Meta?"

"Yes…" Isis hesitantly concurred. "But-"

"And there are noblemen who would be more than happy to assist Meta," Karim added grimly.

I gaped at him, "Noblemen?"

"Yes. There are many men who were vying for your hand in marriage, remember. They see that your heart only belongs to Mahado, and so for this fact they are jealous of him. I have overheard several men speculating that if he were to die, and Seto as well, then your eye would turn to them."

"But you do not have any proof, Karim!" Isis argued, becoming more emphatic. "It is your word against theirs, and if you point your finger only on the basis of your word, then Meta will see that you will be discredited and your prospects of becoming a High Priest will be destroyed. She would see your future ruined."

"I will see Maat served in this court even if it sends me to my death!" Karim swore, rising to his feet. "And know this, Isis: it matters not if I lose my chance at the priesthood because of this. Whether I become a Priest or no, I tell you, it matters not anymore. For whichever path I take, High Priest or mere nobleman, I shall always be lacking something I long to have."

My stunned gaze shifted back and forth between the two of them- I had never seen either of them speak with such vehemence. It seemed as if they had both forgotten me. Isis appeared to be on the brink of tears, and Karim looked very much like he had said more than he had intended to.

I cleared my throat, attempting to smooth over the awkward silence that now ensued. "Well… now… shall I go with you to request the investigation, Karim? I believe that with my support, my father will be more likely to listen to you."

"Yes, I will meet you in the lotus garden on the morrow in the ninth hour," he replied stiffly. "I believe I will take my leave now- excuse me. And Jasana, you should get some rest; it's been quite the exhausting day for both of us." Without another word, he strode out of the room.

After he left, I turned towards Isis, whose eyes were filling fast with tears. "What did he mean when he said he'll always be lacking something he longs to have?" I asked.

"N-nothing," Isis stammered. "I'm sure it's nothing, just something he said without really thinking about it." But the look on her face revealed that she knew exactly what he meant.

"You're not doing a very good job at lying, Isis," I persisted. "He addressed you directly."

"But you shouldn't pay it any mind, because it can only be foolishness," she rejoined in a quipped voice. "I should probably go too." She sprang from her seat and started for the door, but I grabbed her arm.

"Just tell me the truth," I said gently. "It's Karim, isn't it? It's him that you care so much for, whom you wouldn't tell me about that one night.

She said nothing in return, but the pained glance gave me my answer. She yanked her arm out of my grasp and disappeared into the hallway at a run.

I stared after her, perplexed. If she loved him, then she should have told me with happiness, not with sadness. What was more mind-boggling was that she wouldn't openly admit it; it was as if she wanted to keep it a secret from me. I sighed. This was another mystery that had yet to be solved, but it would not be solved tonight. The most important question that needed to be answered concerned who tried to kill Mahado, and if he was after any of us. Aset, Great Mother, I prayed, watch over all of us, and keep us safe, especially Mahado, for if anyone wants him dead, only you can protect him…

I met Karim at the lotus garden the next morning. His shoulders were set as if he was about to engage in a battle, and he greeted me with a grim determination. "Ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," I replied steadily. As we made our way towards the throne room, I asked him, "What did you mean yesterday when you said that you'll always be lacking something you long to have?"

"It's nothing," he said shortly. "I was caught up in the moment, and I should not have said that."

I studied his face closely, but he was better than Isis at hiding his emotions. Then, as if he regretted his tone, he glanced at me and said, "I shall tell you another time, Jasana, but now is the time to focus on the task at hand. We have to have our wits about us if we are to succeed in catching Meta in this crime of hers and putting an end to her influence."

"Fine, but make sure you don't forget about this."

For the first time in the last few days, he flashed a smile at me. "Have I ever broken my word before?" We now stood before the double doors of the throne room. "Now, breathe, and put on your battle face. It's time."

I took a deep breath, and touched the ankh on my mother's turquoise necklace, which I had worn for good luck. I wished that I could have held onto his arm for support, but that would not have been seemly, and so we walked side by side into the throne room. Atem was already there, standing beside Father's throne. Standing on the dais below him were the other Guardians, Isis, and, to my annoyance, Meta. Her eyes narrowed in fury as she saw me enter, and without preemptive she snapped, "This room is no place for you, Princess Sahm-Aset! You should be in your rooms with your ladies!"

"It is not your place to say where the Princess should be, Meta," Father replied imperiously. "In fact, Jasana has as much of a right to be here as my son, since she is just as capable of ruling this kingdom one day."

Meta's eyes widened with shock; apparently it had been the first time that my father had overruled her thusly.

"I agree with the Pharaoh, the Princess is welcome here," Shimon said kindly. The other Guardians nodded their assent, except for Seto, who remained indifferent, but seemed to behold me with a mild curiosity.

As we proceeded to discuss the business of the day, Karim stepped forward. "Your Excellency, I have a request to make."

"Proceed, Karim."

"I wish for an investigation to be conducted on Mahado's attack. I believe it was deliberately planned, not just an accident."

Meta laughed derisively. "Preposterous! Such an investigation would be useless! Most likely he was attacked by bandits!"

"Only mages travel the road to the sanctuary, and not often enough for bandits to regularly stalk that road," Master Serewakht said. "And it is isolated, away from most villages. Only someone who had knowledge of when a magician was traveling would dare venture onto that road."

"Well then, perhaps some other magician was the intended target!" Meta countered. Isis glanced at me with a look that clearly said, "I told you so."

"Yes, it could have been, but highly unlikely. Only a few other minor magicians were at the sanctuary at the time Mahado was there, nobody of importance that could have been the target of an attack."

Father nodded. "Very well. A formal inquiry will be conducted, and a guard will be set to keep an eye on Mahado as he recovers."

"But the attacker might not be here in the court!" Meta insisted.

"You seem to be very well informed on who might or might not have been the attacker, Lady Meta," I interjected snidely. My comment achieved the effect I hoped it would; everyone proceeded to look at her suspiciously. "Perhaps you should share what you might know with the rest of us in order to make our efforts easier."

A look of panic fluttered momentarily across her face. She's guilty! I'm sure of it! I thought to myself. I flashed a glance at Karim, and his expression told me that he thought the same thing. But the panic quickly subsided under her usual mask.

"I know nothing of the sort; I only think that such pains should not be taken on a mere servant of the Pharaoh."

"He is hardly a mere servant; he is a nobleman, and he is to be the next Guardian of the Millennium Ring. Therefore, his position here at court is rather substantial, more so than yours, I would say," Atem volleyed. I silently cheered on my little brother and fought the impulse to hug him.

"If the matter is settled, then we should move on to other business," Akhnadin said, putting an end to the brief bicker.

Meta's eyes gleamed. "Yes, perhaps we should talk of the wedding! My king, you still have yet to set a date for the glorious occasion." She smiled malevolently at me, intent on getting her revenge.

"The wedding date will not be set until I have discussed the matter in private with my daughter," Father replied. A brief wave of surprise passed across Seto's face, but it quickly turned back into marble. "In the meantime, we should discuss the security of the other mages, and the apprentices too. If Mahado has been the target of attack, then there could be other potential victims, and I will not have any more attacks on members of this court."

"I'm completely convinced that she's guilty," Karim said later that afternoon as he mounted his horse.

"But conviction is not the same as proof, Karim," Atem pointed out, reining his horse into a walk. "And until there is definite proof, Father will have to give Meta the benefit of a doubt. He probably doesn't even consider her a suspect."

"But she is definitely the most likely suspect," I said. I proceeded to tell them of the exchange Isis and I overheard in my chambers.

Atem's eyes widened. "You should tell this to Father immediately! It will definitely make her a suspect in his eyes. Already her esteem has diminished, didn't you notice the way he spoke to her when she tried to put you out of the throne room? He's never spoken to her like that before."

"Perhaps, but she can easily win his favor back," Karim said. "And even though there are more guards around Mahado, he is still in danger. Those guards could be bribed, for all we know. He was supposed to have an escort to and from the palace, but apparently those guards neglected their duty." He paused, and then continued, "It may be better, Jasana, if you pretend to lose interest in him."

I brought Nephthys to a halt and looked at him incredulously. "What do you mean?"

"It may be better if you pretend interest in Seto, and the other noblemen too, just to deter them from wanting to harm Mahado. If they think that you no longer love him, and that they might have a chance, then they will leave him alone."

"But that is deceitful!" I gasped.

"Not necessarily, it is simply a matter of political discretion. You keep everyone guessing, without revealing your true intentions until the time is right and the matter is sealed. Until then, everyone won't know what you're really up to, and in this way, you get what you want and lessen the risk to Mahado. Actually, it's best if you pretend to curry the favor of several men, so that they won't gang up on Seto as well. As much as we loathe him, I do not want to see him face the same danger that Mahado did."

"I don't like this idea, and what if Mahado thinks I'm playing the part all too well?"

"We can explain the situation to him, he'll understand."

"But what if he doesn't?" I didn't want to argue with Karim, who had always given good advice, but this time I found his advice doubtful. "And what if Father notices, and thinks that I really intend to marry Seto? He'll announce the date of the wedding, and things will proceed, and it will be too late to change anything!"

"Mahado will understand after I explain everything to him, and you will help me." Karim brought his horse alongside mine. Seeing the look on my face, he said gently, "Remember, this is a game that we're playing, almost like a game of senet, and the goal is for you to win over Meta and get your way."

"But what if I have no wish for this to be a game? Why can't it be simpler?"

"Because that is politics, I'm afraid," he said ruefully. "And convincing your father will have to be part of the act. But remember when he said that he will speak to you in private about the matter? That will be your chance to tell your father what you really want, and hope that he grants your wish. I warrant that he already knows your intention anyway, given the way you asked to treat Mahado yourself. The main ones we want to fool are Meta, Seto, the other noblemen, and anybody else who might want to bring Mahado harm."

"I don't like this idea of pretending though," I said softly.

Atem looked at me sympathetically. "Sister, you will see that as royalty, you may have to appear to be pretending sometimes, when matters are delicate, in order to keep the peace. That's what Father told me, when he was teaching me the ways of ruling. It's not necessarily going against ma'at to be discreet and not reveal everything at once, and sometimes it's necessary if one is to survive."

Karim nodded. "That's exactly it. It's a lesson that your brother has already learned, and one that you should learn quickly as well if you are to be a greater part of this court. Every courtier, even the Guardians, have their own interests that they are guarding. And the one who wins them over in an alliance will be the one who sees their pieces advanced in this game to victory." Seeing that my hesitation hadn't waned, he insisted, "It's not forever, Jasana. And trust me; it's for the best for you and Mahado."

I sighed, and conceded, "All right, I'll follow your advice, but just for how long do I have to do this for?"

"Until we bring Meta down and you are the first lady of the court, as you should rightfully be," he answered.

As always, thanks for reading! Not sure when I'll have the next chapter up, but I guarantee that there WILL be a next chapter, now that I've started writing again. Till next time! :)

-JJ