This story contains TRIGGER WARNINGS for rape, violence, blood, physical and emotional abuse, suicide (mentioned). READ AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION.
This warning applies to the story in general. NO SPECIFIC WARNINGS FOR INDIVIDUAL CHAPTERS WILL BE GIVEN!
Chapter 14
Pharaoh Atem tapped the armrest of his chair. They were in the same conference room as last time, with the same dark table and four small jackal figures. The sun was shining into the room through a few small windows, reflecting on one of the jackal's golden eyes. Yugi, King Rishid, Lord Seto, Lady Isis, and Lord Malik were all sitting on the same chairs, yet Yugi felt as if his was full of needles.
"And you're absolutely certain, Yugi of Tamiat?" Pharaoh Atem asked.
"Y-Yes, my Pharaoh. It was Lord Kek I saw and heard say these things."
"Why would he provoke tensions between Nubia and Egypt?" King Rishid asked, hands folded.
"He deals with weapons. I suppose he wants the war to continue, so he can make more money. As if he hasn't become three times richer already since the start of the war," Pharaoh Atem spat as if he was talking about a vicious snake.
"Kisara noticed the first food theft a few days before the first attack. It was the same with the second time." Lord Seto sipped on his water. "A connection would be possible."
Then we shall summon Lord Kek for interrogations," Lord Malik suggested. Both he and his sister had twisted their faces in concern and anger.
"I'm afraid that would not be wise." Lord Seto placed his cup on the table. "As of now Lord Kek would just deny everything. And even though Yugi of Tamiat is the Pharaoh's whore he's still just a whore. It wouldn't be smart for anyone to publicly trust the word of a whore more than that of a noble. Even though I fully believe Yugi of Tamiat."
Yugi's cheeks glowed at those words. Of course. He should be glad anyone was willing to listen to him at all.
"But if we have more voices our case will be stronger. Yugi, can you describe the three men Lord Kek talked to?" Lady Isis asked.
"I'm afraid not, my lady. They were outside my field of view."
"That's a shame. But if we could catch them, we'd have four testimonies against Lord Kek. They should also be able to tell us what they got for their actions and if all that matches up with what was stolen…"
"Don't forget the ones who distracted the guards, sister," Lord Malik added.
"Lord Seto, I suppose you're already working on a plan?" Pharaoh Atem said. Lord Seto was pinching the bridge of his nose, eyes closed.
"Indeed I am. It shouldn't be too hard, really." He raised his head. "Kisara will inform us when Lord Kek has gotten the next payment for his henchmen. Once this happens, we will position even more guards at the plaza. But the extra guards will all be disguised as commoners so Lord Kek won't notice anything unusual. The normal guards will let themselves be lured away. That way Lord Kek thinks his plan works like before while the undercover guards will be ready to strike. The normal ones will pretend to help Lord Kek's decoys but will actually catch them. We will also position someone where Lord Kek meets with the attackers…"
"No!" Yugi blurted out and all heads turned to him. Yugi felt as if he was shrinking. "I mean… It's a good plan but Lord Kek and the others always check each and every corner. They'd notice a guard."
"Then where did you hide?" Lord Seto asked.
"I-In a hole in the leftovers of the destroyed buildings. Even I barely fit in there and the whole construction is too unstable to make it big enough for a muscular guard. Besides, Lord Kek would notice something is different and he's supposed to feel like his plan is working just like the last two times, right?"
Also, Taia wouldn't tolerate another human in her hideout. The guard would have to use violence to chase her away or maybe they'd kill her.
"I'm afraid you have a good point…" Lord Seto mumbled.
"What about you, Yugi of Tamiat?" Pharaoh Atem gestured at him. "Could you fit in there and alert the others when it comes to that?"
Yugi's fingers clawed at the hem of his tunic. Could he do something so crucial? Otogi would say no. Yugi was just a silly whore whose only talent was getting laid.
But if he rejected the idea, Taia would get hurt. Even if she only ran away, Yugi wouldn't be able to find her. He imagined her in another neighbourhood, scared of the other dogs and humans, hungry again, wondering why her human had abandoned her.
"Yes, I'll do it," Yugi blurted out.
"Good. Thank you for accepting that responsibility, Yugi of Tamiat," Pharaoh Atem replied but it didn't keep Yugi from feeling as if he had just agreed to carrying a giant rock to a mountain.
"I would offer some of my guards for the mission but I'm afraid the fact that they don't speak Egyptian would give too much away." King Rishid sighed. "Still, if I can help in any way, do not hesitate to ask. I don't want our peace to be endangered."
They talked about the details of the plan: who should go undercover, what signs to look out for, who they could turn to with further details. All the while Yugi remained silent, looking at his reflection in his cup of water.
Why was Pharaoh Atem relying on him with something so important? In the night of the feast of peace Otogi had told him that Yugi was stupid and untrustworthy. Maybe Pharaoh Atem was trying to sabotage the treaty after all! But there had to be much easier ways to do that…
Once everything was decided, Pharaoh Atem ended the meeting. Yugi didn't notice that until he heard Pharaoh Atem's voice behind himself saying:
"Yugi of Tamiat?"
Yugi whirled around and saw him standing there. Everyone else had already left. Yugi rose and bowed.
"I'm sorry, my Pharaoh. I was lost in thought."
"About what?"
"The… The mission… But I'll do my part! I swear!"
Pharaoh Atem examined his face. It was as if those piercing, red eyes could look right into Yugi's soul and it made Yugi avert his gaze.
"Follow me please," Pharaoh Atem said and Yugi obeyed. After a few turns Yugi realised they were on their way to Pharaoh Atem's chambers and for a moment, Yugi's heartbeat stopped.
Ra, now it'd happen! When Yugi least expected it! Now he'd have to pleasure Pharaoh Atem!
He tried to come up with a reason why he had to leave but forming a coherent thought was like trying to catch smoke with his hands. Servants held the doors open and closed them behind them as they entered a drawing room. For the blink of an eye, Yugi believed to have walked into a lush forest.
Leaves in different shades of green were on every wall, speckled with the occasional red, yellow, or pink of a blossom or fruit. Only the trees, bushes, flowers, and even a few monkeys and birds weren't real. All four walls were covered in mosaics of many different types of stones.
The floor too was full of mosaics of different flowers, making it look like a meadow. Around a low table stood a couple of couches, all in matching greens. Colourful cushions were placed on the seats, embroidered with more flowers. On the low table, a small metal container was steaming, spreading the scent of pomegranates.
It was so beautiful Yugi couldn't help but look around. It really was like being in a forest where all the greenery absorbed part of the heat, making it a cool refuge. Even the ceiling resembled the edges of treetops with a few patches of blue sky and the white sun in the middle.
"I was impressed too when I first saw it," Pharaoh Atem said, near the open shutters of a balcony. "Here in the south all water is needed for drinking and watering the fields. So the people found other ways of bringing nature to their houses."
"I see."
Despite the low flood, there had never been a shortage of flowers in the north. Yugi was so used to seeing at least one bouquet in every room he hadn't even considered that there were places where this was not an option. He had noticed the difference when he had first arrived but had just assumed that flowers weren't a priority to the people right now.
"But I didn't bring you here to be impressed with the beauty of this room," Pharaoh Atem said, causing a cold shiver to run down Yugi's spine. But it subsided when Pharaoh Atem walked towards a table with a game board of Abtu Sheta spread on it. "I would like to play against you."
"Play…?"
"But with one condition," Pharaoh Atem said and Yugi expected some twist that'd make the game end with Yugi on all fours one way or another. "Don't let me win."
Yugi could only blink at him.
"What…?"
"You heard me. At the palace you obviously lost on purpose every time. I know why my opponents tend to do that but I still dislike it. I hereby allow you to win against me."
Yugi rubbed his neck, avoiding looking at him.
"I didn't think you'd notice…"
"How couldn't I? You start out as an excellent player and then you make really stupid mistakes until you lose. Well, not this time. I want you to beat me. If you can, that is," Pharaoh Atem said with a smirk.
"I'll try."
Chuckling, Yugi sat down on one of the padded chairs. He shuffled the cards, dealt them out, and placed the small fish and turtles in their starting positions.
This match was more fun than any other in a long time. He had a new opponent whose tactics, strength, and weaknesses were still unknown to him and he didn't have to worry about pleasing him. He could focus on trying to fool Pharaoh Atem with different tactics and take away one of his fish whenever he saw a chance.
But Pharaoh Atem didn't hold back either and brought Yugi into many difficult situations. In the end, Yugi had three game pieces left while Pharaoh Atem had none.
"Well played, Yugi of Tamiat."
Pharaoh Atem sounded proud, even though Yugi had expected annoyance or even anger. Yugi could only look down on his lap. The rush of victory was gone already and all Yugi was left with guilt, despite Pharaoh Atem's friendly reaction.
"Th-Thank you, my Pharaoh."
During the match a servant had brought a bowl of strawberries. Yugi took one and nibbled on it, its sweet juices running over his tongue. Meanwhile, Pharaoh Atem gathered all the cards and shuffled them. He used the riffle technique and did so more elegantly than Yugi had expected. Didn't he have servants to do that for him?
What a strange situation: Yugi, in Pharaoh Atem's beautiful forest drawing room, having played a game as if they weren't whore and customer. Somehow Pharaoh Atem managed to surprise him over and over…
"Say, Yugi of Tamiat… Are you truly comfortable with the role you'll have in the plan?"
Yugi was about to take another bite from the strawberry but stopped. He had forgotten about all that during the game.
"Y-Yes. I want to do it because…"
No, it'd sound silly. Maybe so much Pharaoh Atem would give the task to someone else. He had to do it for Taia. She had no one else.
"You don't have to tell me of course. Just know that if you change your mind after all you can let me know," Pharaoh Atem said and placed the cards in a neat stack next to the game board.
"Thank you," Yugi whispered. "I'm just nervous about having such an important role when I'm just a whore…"
"Well, whore or not, an outstanding player like yourself is no doubt more than smart enough for such a task."
"Did you just call me smart?!"
"I did."
Yugi gaped at him. Pharaoh Atem had even said it as if it was as obvious as the strawberry in his hand being red.
"Thank you…" Yugi mumbled.
"How about another round? I'd love to know if I'm able to beat you."
Yugi laughed, then nodded.
The next two weeks were full of opposites.
The peace treaty made good progress. Pharaoh Atem and King Rishid had similar ideas about what should happen with the border, prisoners of war, and reparations, making the negotiations rather easy.
On the other hand, the mood in the city became more hostile. People were sure that the best treaty would be useless. The Nubians couldn't even keep to the armistice! The commoners avoided those who had Nubian family members, sometimes even insulted or attacked them.
Whenever Lord Kek heard about this at dinner, he smiled to himself. Yugi would have loved to punch that arrogant grin from his face.
Taia became more clingy every day and tried to follow Yugi several times. Out of necessity, Yugi taught her 'stay' but his conscience gnawed on him all day whenever he had to leave her behind. It was even worse than when Yugi had been forced to return Amerys to Ryou. At least with Amerys he had known that he'd go back to a place where he was taken care of.
Yugi would have loved to talk to Kisara about all this. But she was busy with the treasurers all day and spent most of her evenings with Lord Seto. She assured Yugi that they were still just discussing mathematics but now and then Yugi caught her blushing when she claimed that.
However, Kisara not having time for him didn't bother Yugi as much as he had expected. He himself spent more and more evenings with Pharaoh Atem in the forest room. Of course, whispers always followed him on his way to Pharaoh Atem's chambers, wondering in what creative ways the whore would please his customer tonight. As annoying as that was, it was easy for Yugi to ignore as long as he concentrated on ways he could challenge Pharaoh Atem at tonight's rounds of Abtu Sheta.
During his day in the city, Yugi had come up with a few new strategies. As he walked towards the forest room, he was determined to swing the scores in his favour tonight. But when he entered there was an unexpected guest, or two to be exact.
King Rishid sat at the table, a brown cat with dark stripes on his lap, a cup of wine in his hand. He was without his golden headpiece and even though his scalp was bald Yugi now noticed a ponytail in the back of his head, bound together by a ribbon with white and red stripes.
"Your majesty." Yugi bowed. "I didn't expect to see you here."
"I told King Rishid what an excellent player you are." Pharaoh Atem came towards them with two cups in his hands and handed one to Yugi. Unlike King Rishid, he was still wearing his sign of kingship, the nemes headdress. "He voiced his interest in playing against you."
Heat crept into Yugi's cheeks. He gave King Rishid another bow.
"It's an honour, your majesty."
"For me as well, Royal Ornament."
"Actually, I… I'm not the Royal Ornament."
Even though Yugi had no desire to become Pharaoh Atem's official lover, Yugi sometimes caught himself thinking what it would be like. He knew the position came with many privileges. Was one of them keeping a pet?
"Ah, forgive me," King Rishid said. "Well then, would you like to have a match with me?"
"I would love to."
Yugi took his seat and shuffled the cards. The fish and turtles were already in their starting positions in the green and blue zones on both sides of the field. Pharaoh Atem got another chair, placed it between the two players, and sat down.
"And there's no need for you to hold back in case you need to know," King Rishid said with a little smile. Yugi chuckled nervously and began dealing out the cards.
King Rishid's preferred tactic was luring his opponent into traps. Yugi fell for it a few times before he too began to set up elaborate traps that sometimes took several turns to spring. Even when Yugi removed two of the king's pieces in a row he remained calm and focussed.
For the cat on his lap however, it was the opposite. Once the sun had set and servants had lit a few lamps, she began to play with King Rishid's necklace, tried to drink from his cup, and even jumped on the table. All three couldn't help but laugh. In order to let the match continue, Pharaoh Atem offered to play with her.
King Rishid accepted gladly and so Pharaoh Atem took a cord from a drawer and wiggled it in front of the cat. She jumped from King Rishid's lap and tried to catch the ribbon as Pharaoh Atem dangled it right above her. Yugi had never seen that kind of grin on Pharaoh Atem's face. It was small but it had something innocent and boyish.
After some time, the cat grew tired and chose to rest on Pharaoh Atem's lap. Pharaoh Atem chucked her under the chin, causing her to purr. As cute as she was, Yugi didn't let her distract him from the game.
"You really are as good as Pharaoh Atem says," King Rishid said and moved one of his turtles with a card of four green lotus leaves. "Who taught you to play?"
"My parents did, your majesty. Mostly my father."
"And where did your parent come from? It must be from far away. I've never seen someone like you before."
"They were my adoptive parents, actually," Yugi said, his eyes on the cards. He disliked having to make that distinction. "They were nobles from Hellas who saved me as a baby from slavery."
Yugi bit his tongue when he remembered that he was talking to an owner of slaves. But King Rishid's expression hadn't changed.
"That was honourable of them," he said. "Slavery is a barbaric thing."
It took Yugi a moment to process what he had just heard from whom.
"But in Nubia…"
"I know. One of my goals is to get rid of that terrible custom. Without it there would be a lot less suffering in my country. And we could have avoided this war." He turned to Pharaoh Atem and added apologetically: "I didn't mean to hint at…"
"It's fine," Pharaoh Atem said, his eyes on the cat. King Rishid cleared his throat.
"You're from the north, aren't you, Yugi of Tamiat? Where the Atlanteans are currently waging a war, right?"
Yugi drew a card and sorted it into his hand. Right, while he was having fun people in the north were being tortured, raped, and killed.
"That's sadly true, your majesty."
"I heard the Atlanteans fight like demons. I wish you a quick victory."
"Thank you. I'm praying for that too."
Pharaoh Atem looked up, apparently grateful for the change for subject.
"It should be less difficult once I can retreat my troops from the south. Then I'll be able to send reinforcements to the north."
Yugi dropped his cards. There was no way… He hadn't just heard that!
"What did you say…?" Yugi whispered.
"I said I'll send my troops to the north as soon as possible."
Pharaoh Atem's face didn't change. Yugi waited for a tiny smirk or a gleam in his eyes that'd hint at this being a cruel joke. But Yugi found no sign like that.
Ever since he had come to Tamiat, Yugi had heard so many times that Pharaoh Atem, a spoilt and arrogant brat, would be the last person who'd help the north. Now he could barely stop himself from falling to his knees before him. To think that the Atlanteans would soon be beaten and Jou and all the other soldiers could come home…!
"Thank you so much," Yugi said, his heart fluttering. "We need the support, we really do! I'd never have thought that…"
"That I'd want to assist the north?" Pharaoh Atem asked. Yugi didn't dare to reply and picked his cards back up with shaky fingers. "I must admit that supporting your home wasn't one of my priorities but the reason wasn't cruelty or ignorance. The north has always been economically strong. It figures since you have more fertile land, not to mention places of international trade like Tamiat. With much hotter weather and a lower population none of this applies to the south. We actually needed all our forces to match those of Nubia."
Yugi twirled a strand of blond hair around his finger.
"I never considered that circumstances in the south were so different…"
"I know you didn't," Pharaoh Atem said gently. "It's normal to assume that the circumstances you know are the same everywhere. And even though your little speech at the feast of peace was rather disrespectful, it was necessary for me to know about the north's opinion."
"Well, I…"
"The crown's relationship with the north has suffered for a long time. The Pharaohs before me cared little about visiting it since there were no pressing problems and the people always paid their taxes. But I now know that I need to act differently. As soon as I can I will visit on a regular basis and listen to what the nobles of the north have to say. After all, they're my people, be it in the north, south, or central Egypt."
Hearing all this made Yugi dizzy. He focussed on the game and only now realised that he was a few turns away from winning.
"You're right, Pharaoh. We can't allow ourselves to repeat the mistakes of those before us. If we want to make things better, we need to question everything, even things we're used to," King Rishid said but it was as if he was speaking to Yugi as well. A little later, Yugi had gathered all of King Rishid's game pieces. He put down his remaining cards. "Well played. Pharaoh, would you like to play next against the genius?"
"With pleasure."
The two swapped seats and Pharaoh Atem handed King Rishid back his cat. Meanwhile, Yugi shuffled the cards. The only sounds were the crickets and birds outside.
"I'm not a genius," Yugi interrupted the room's silence. "In fact … I'm a fool. I believed prejudices before I ever met you, my Pharaoh. I never wondered about the reasons for your actions. I'm sorry. And I'm especially sorry for what I said about you at the feast of peace."
Yugi feared being rejected. But Pharaoh Atem's expression softened.
"Thank you. And in case you want to know: I won't have that statue built, the one the noble suggested at the feast. If anything, I'd like a monument of peace."
A smile spread on Yugi's face. Offering an apology and having it accepted was a relieving sensation. It made Yugi feel a little wiser and stronger, something he rarely experienced.
"My Pharaoh… Rumours say that you were the one who caused the war here in the south. How did it really happen?" Yugi asked, expecting another story that was easy to explain and that would clear Pharaoh Atem of all guilt. But Pharaoh Atem bit his bottom lip, playing with one of his earrings.
"Well… I'm afraid that's true," he whispered and threw King Rishid a glance. "As you probably noticed, slaves in Nubia all have to wear collars around their necks. There are different types, depending on whether a slave works in the kitchen, the gardens, the library, and so on. But there's one special collar that the king can give to only one slave. It's made out of gold with red diamonds shaped like roses. That rose diamond collar is given to the one slave the king chooses as his official lover."
"I… I see," Yugi said and shifted in his seat.
"A couple of years ago the former king of Nubia put this rose diamond collar on a young man, no older than sixteen at the time. You actually remind me a lot of him, Yugi of Tamiat. You have the same hair and body shape. But he didn't look as, well … unusual as you do. His name was…"
Pharaoh Atem hesitated, as if saying it caused him pain.
"His name was Heba," King Rishid added. "You see, unlike a Royal Ornament someone who receives the rose diamond collar has no choice in the matter. Heba was more than unhappy with belonging to an old and cruel man. We weren't close but I knew him."
King Rishid heaved a sigh.
"It was obvious why the former king had chosen him. He really was exceptionally beautiful." Pharaoh Atem let a finger run over the edge of his cup. "And exceptionally unhappy. Even when he smiled, his eyes were always so void of … anything."
"And you wanted to help him because you liked him?" Yugi suggested. Pharaoh Atem laughed bitterly.
"I wish I could tell you I wasn't the arrogant fool I was. Like many others I desired him and I didn't want that collar to stop me from getting him. Even though it meant that everyone who touched him could be punished with death. I told him many, many lies about being in love with him and more importantly: being able to save him from the cruel king. For the first time there was something like hope in those empty eyes … and I betrayed it. All just for a few fun nights." Pharaoh Atem's voice was heavy with guilt, almost cracking. "I got what I wanted. But we were caught and from then on the king wanted my head. Despite everything, my father wasn't going to let that happen. So the king declared war on Egypt."
Yugi remained silent, trying to make sense out of everything. So what he had heard wasn't based on lies after all. That cruel man he had heard about was part of Pharaoh Atem. But how could that be when the person across from him had that pained expression and didn't even dare to look at Yugi right now?
"If I may add," King Rishid said. "My late uncle wanted a war with Egypt for years. There were diplomatic ways to solve this but the former king wasn't interested."
"It was still my fault," Pharaoh Atem said. Yugi didn't know how to react.
"What happened to Heba?" Yugi asked and Pharaoh Atem gulped.
"He was tortured and publicly beheaded," King Rishid said. "He could barely walk to the scaffold, bruises and cuts everywhere… When the executioner asked for his last words, he said nothing. He didn't resist in the slightest when … it happened. This was when the thought occurred to me for the first time that I had to overthrow my uncle. I always knew that he was cruel but that he had no qualms whatsoever in just completely … breaking someone. Especially someone who had once been such a kind boy who always cared about others…"
Heavy silence followed, poisoning the room like smoke. A part of Yugi wanted to be angry with Pharaoh Atem. His ignorance had killed an innocent boy and hundreds, maybe thousands more! Then again, where was the sense in reproaching someone who was so miserable?
Pharaoh Atem had lowered his head, not in humility but in shame. Somehow Yugi felt … pity for him. Or was it empathy? After all, Yugi knew what it was like to make a mistake that impacted so many and have your conscience gnaw on you like a million hungry maggots…
"Well… As horrible as all that is… You're trying to make things better now with the peace treaty. You learned from your past. I think that's very important," Yugi said, his fingers digging into the hem of his tunic. A small smile spread on Pharaoh Atem's face.
"You're probably right, Yugi of Tamiat," he said. "But leaving your guilt behind is a hard thing to do…"
Yugi swallowed, remembering the broken bridge, crocodiles, screams of pain. There hadn't been a day when he hadn't felt that boulder of guilt on his shoulders, one way or another. And not even the kindest words from his friends had been able to make it any less heavy.
A knock interrupted his thoughts. A servant came in, announcing Lord Seto and Kisara. Pharaoh Atem allowed them to enter and so they did. Both bowed. Kisara and Yugi exchanged a look.
"Forgive us for the intrusion, my Pharaoh, your majesty," Lord Seto said. "But after checking the results several times we now know that food has been stolen from the storage today."
Yugi's posture straightened in an instant.
"So another attack will follow one of these days?" he said.
"Most likely tomorrow. That's when we will sign the treaty," King Rishid replied.
"Tomorrow already? I thought you're still busy working on it."
"That's exactly what we wanted everyone to think, Yugi of Tamiat." Pharaoh Atem rose, walked behind his chair, and placed his hands on the backrest. His sadness and vulnerability had vanished and the strong ruler had returned. "So Lord Kek thought he'd have more time to sabotage the peace. Either he somehow found out about it or it's coincidence. Regardless, we need to get ready to act out our plan. Tomorrow."
"Should I give the commands?" Lord Seto asked.
"Yes. I will also be at the plaza, in disguise of course." Pharaoh Atem turned to Yugi. Yugi felt his heartbeat quicken. "Are you ready to play your part, Yugi of Tamiat?"
Cold fear crawled through Yugi's veins. He was scared of making another mistake that'd make everything worse. But his will to help Taia and ensure peace for the south was stronger. He nodded.
"I'm ready."