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 30
They hardly slept that night. All they could do was pace back and forth, hide in each other's arms, and listen carefully to the sounds around them. There were no screams or any other loud noises. Hopefully this was an indicator of no blood being shed.
Time seemed to move slower than a turtle. The sun rose, reached its highest point, then began its descent. It was in the late afternoon when the door to the drawing room opened. Yugi jumped up from a couch.
The man who entered had blond, short hair and broad shoulders. Like the four soldiers accompanying him, he wore leather armour, albeit his was of a higher quality. He bowed.
"My Pharaoh, Royal Ornament. I'm Major Rafael, second in command after General Dartz. The general would like to meet you in the throne room," he said. Unlike his superior, Rafael's tone and choice of words showed a lot more respect. Something Yugi hadn't thought possible in an Atlantean. "Your servants should be here any moment to help you get ready."
"Thank you," Atem said coolly but with the dignity of a royal.
The servants uttered no word as they helped Yugi and Atem into fresh white tunics, put powder on their faces, and drew kohl lines around their eyes. Yugi chose a golden belt and the first three bracelets he grabbed from a small box.
Right behind it lay the wristband with sapphires and pearls. Yugi decided to wear it, hoping it'd give him at least a tiny amount of strength.
They petted Amerys and Taia before they followed Rafael. The four soldiers assembled around them. The corridors were empty. The only sounds were their footsteps.
They reached the throne room. Every sinew in Yugi's body was tense as they entered. The hall was full. Every noble and as many servants as possible had been crammed inside. Atlanteans stood between them in regular patterns, their spears and swords ready to impale anyone who stepped out of line. Only the dark teal carpet that led towards the throne was free for Yugi and Atem to walk on.
They passed Lord Seto, Bakura, and Ryou. Like everyone else, their expressions were tense. A fresh wound on Bakura's chin showed that he had resisted the invaders.
Yugi stopped right before the four steps that led to the throne area. On its left side, in a secluded and guarded area, stood Kisara, Jou, Mai, and everyone else from Tamiat. They were wearing shackles around their wrists and ankles.
Dartz sat on Bakura's throne, his back straight and his hands on the cheetah-shaped armrests. Otogi stood to his right, next to Kek, a black leather pouch with a few bombs around his hips.
The soldiers surrounding Yugi and Atem stepped to the sides. Rafael joined the other Atlantean officials. Despite it not being dark yet, several fire plates stood in the hall. For a moment, their crackling was the only sound.
"Welcome, Pharaoh," Dartz said, his voice dripping with arrogance. "And his whore. The takeover of Busiris has been successful. My father will be so glad to hear that we've gotten hold of our food and weapons after all. Now, we really should settle all this, shouldn't we?"
Atem's posture as perfectly erect. He didn't blink. Even in defeat, he refused to give up his royal pride.
"State your conditions," he said. Dartz grinned.
"When this war first began, we were merely interested in the northern sectors. But that has changed. Pharaoh Atem, I hereby demand that you give up your title, your crown, and that you deny your descendants the right to claim Egypt's throne ever again."
It was as if the air in Yugi's lungs evaporated into nothing. He had expected them to lose the north but not this. Everyone else shot each other shocked looks.
"I refuse," Atem said, steady as a rock. "Your bombs may be enough to burn down the north. But not my entire country. If you want my crown, you'll have to kill me."
If Yugi had been able to move, he would have stepped in front of Atem, even if it had been a useless attempt to shield him. As it was, Yugi just stood there like one of the many statues in the room. Dartz chuckled.
"I considered that. But what would happen if I allowed you to die for your country like a hero? Such stories only feed into building groups of resistance, which would be annoying to say the least. And who knows if you have fathered some bastard children in the past? Some little brat who will make it their goal in life to take back what is 'rightfully theirs'. As enjoyable as killing you would be, I'm not interested in sowing more problems for the future. I want you to give up your crown today in front of everyone."
"Don't do it!" Jou called and all heads turned to him. "It's bad enough that those bastards took Tamiat!"
"He's right! You've got to fight back on another day!" Kisara said and everyone from Tamiat added something similar. That was, until the soldiers started to hit everyone who spoke up with the pommels of their spears and swords. They pushed Jou to the ground and kicked him in his stomach. Jou whimpered and cursed but the Atlanteans didn't care.
"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Yugi yelled, trembling. To his own surprise, Dartz raised a hand and the soldiers stopped. He was now focussed on Yugi and a cold shiver crawled up Yugi's spine.
"Bring me the whore," he said and two men dragged Yugi up the four stairs. Atem tried to dash forward but two more soldiers held him back by his arms.
"No, don't! It's me you want!" Atem said but Dartz ignored him. He rose from the throne and approached Yugi. Yugi's heart thudded against his rib cage as if it wanted to flee, like the rest of him. He writhed, trying to get away from Dartz like from a hungry predator.
"What a talented whore we have here!" Dartz said to the hall. "One that is apparently so good at his job he fucked his way into the bed of a king! What a pretty face…" He patted Yugi's cheek, then circled Yugi and grabbed his butt. "And a tight little ass! I see what you like about him, Pharaoh!"
"LET – HIM – GO!" Atem yelled. Dartz stepped in front of Yugi and pulled out his bronze dagger. Sweat ran over Yugi's forehead. Would Dartz peel the skin off Yugi's face now like an apple?
"Doesn't that feel familiar?" Dartz whispered and let the blade run over Yugi's face, just lightly enough not to cut him. "But this time I won't let you get away. Now I'll make you pay for that shame I have to wear in front of everyone ever since I met you…"
With one swift motion Dartz sliced open the front of Yugi's tunic, revealing his naked torso. Yugi squirmed with all the power his shaky body could muster. It was no use.
"STOP IT! STOP!" Atem shouted so loudly his throat had to be burning.
"I will once you tell me what I want to hear," Dartz said. Yugi shook his head at Atem.
"Don't give in! Don't-" Yugi said but Dartz slapped him so hard Yugi tasted blood in his mouth.
"I'm your customer now, little whore," Dartz snapped, his voice icy and more merciless than metal. "Then again, I shouldn't be so selfish. Go ahead, soldiers! See what a royal whore feels like!"
Atlanteans swarmed Yugi like a group of hungry hyenas around their wounded prey. Their hands, more disgusting than snails, ran all over Yugi's body. Yugi wanted to tell them to stop but he could barely breathe. The soldiers pinched his nipples, grabbed his crotch, and laughed at Yugi's feeble attempts to wriggle free.
Yugi thought he heard several people – among them Mai, Kisara, and Bakura - yell at them to stop but the Atlanteans seemed to silence everyone but Atem.
"No, please don't!" Atem called, his voice cracking. "Don't treat him like-"
"Make him bend over!" Dartz said and a soldier grabbed Yugi's neck and pushed him down. Cold panic seized Yugi. He kicked behind himself but Dartz caught his foot and shoved it to the floor. He pulled up Yugi's tunic and cut his loincloth to pieces. They fell to the ground so that Yugi's butt was exposed. Dartz gave it a hard smack. "Now that really is the sweetest ass I've ever seen! Does that turn you on, little whore?! Come on!"
He hit Yugi over and over, the sharp sound echoing through the hall. The Atlanteans laughed and urged their general to go even harder on Yugi. His butt burned almost as much as his face did from shame.
Against his will, tears streamed from Yugi's eyes. With every slap Yugi's skin grew more sensitive and the pain more stinging. It was as if Dartz could cause more ache with his flat hand than others could with a whip. He would have begged the gods to give Dartz at least a drop of mercy but he knew it was in vain. Yugi bit his lip, suppressing moans of pain in a desperate attempt to save at least a shred of his dignity.
"You're so much fun, little whore," Dartz said, trembling with arousal. He pressed his crotch against Yugi's and his lungs froze at how hard the bulge between Dartz's legs was. Only a thin layer of cloth was between them. "I'll go first and then I'll let each and every one of my soldiers fuck you as hard as they please… It'll be so good, little whore, so good…"
Yugi heard the shuffling of clothes. He wanted to drop dead. It couldn't be! No, no, no…!
"You can have my crown!" Atem shouted, close to tears. Silence filled the room, heavier than lead and bitterer than poison. "I'll give it all up! Just … don't…!"
No one said a word. Dartz snapped his fingers and the soldiers let go of Yugi. His legs were too weak to carry him and he fell to the floor. He didn't dare look at Atem. Dartz grabbed Yugi by his hair and pushed him to the side.
"A little more official, if you don't mind, Pharaoh," Dartz said and his arrogance made Yugi want to throw up. Atem gulped.
"I, Pharaoh Atem, king of upper and lower Egypt, am hereby relinquishing my right to the throne, as are my descendants," he said and Yugi could both hear and feel his pain. A tiny laugh escaped Dartz's throat.
"So be it then! The entire country and all of history shall know that Pharaoh Atem ended his dynasty's rule over Egypt because of a filthy little whore! Aren't you proud, everyone?" Dartz said. His soldiers laughed but everyone else remained silent.
Yugi felt the weight of guilt on his shoulders. Dartz approached Yugi, knelt down, and raised his chin. Satisfaction was gleaming in his hard eyes.
"Too bad your sweetheart is such a wuss. I would have loved to fuck you at least once. But we'll see what the future holds, right? For now, it was so much fun to make you feel like what you truly are…" He spat in Yugi's face. "A worthless piece of shit. Don't you ever forget that."
Yugi wiped his face as soon as Dartz let go of him. He hugged himself, covering as much skin as possible. He sobbed quietly and watched his tears drop to the marble tiles.
"Now, you might be wondering who your next Pharaoh will be," Dartz said to the hall. "As much as I'd love to take the spot myself, I know that the people will only accept someone who is Egyptian. Someone who is a noble but also someone I can trust. That's why I decided that your new Pharaoh will be Lord Otogi."
Yugi lifted his head. It didn't sound real, yet it was Otogi who stepped forward. There was something unstable, yet giddy about the way he spoke and moved.
"So be it. My family was humiliated for over two hundred years and now that cruel reign is coming to an end. My first order after my coronation shall be to change Egypt's capital from Waset to Tamiat so that no one will ever again doubt Tamiat's superiority. But before it comes to that, I will need all of you to bow to me," Otogi said, looking at the nobles.
"Never," Bakura spat but Otogi laughed.
"Do you think I don't know how stubborn you are, Bakura? That's why you will be the next one to lose your title. Under my rule Busiris shall belong to Lord Kek."
Kek waved at the servants of Busiris as if they adored him. Bakura tried to lunge forward but two Atlanteans held him back.
"Don't you dare!" he yelled. "Don't you dare give our land to that maniac!"
"I would be a lot more inclined to listen to you if you hadn't cuddled up to our enemy the past months!" Otogi said and pointed at Atem.
"Our enemy?! Like it or not but Pharaoh Atem fought with us ever since he got here! He actually killed a good bunch of Atlanteans while all you did was scratch their backs and pity yourself! Do you honestly think anyone is going to respect you as a Pharaoh?!"
Anger flared up in Otogi's expression and with the move of a hand he commanded the soldiers to punish Bakura. One of them held Bakura's arms behind his back while two others punched him in the face and gut several times. Ryou yelled at them to stop but they ignored him. Only once Bakura's nose and mouth were bloody they let go of him and pushed him back into the crowd. Ryou knelt down and pulled out a handkerchief.
"This is only a taste of what will happen if you don't bow to me!" Otogi shouted. His clenched fists were trembling. "All my life I've had to suffer more than any of you! I finally have a chance to end the torture I have to live with and I will not let anyone take it from me! Is that clear?!"
No one spoke. They all had sour expressions on their faces, yet none of them wanted to endanger the lives of their loved ones or their people. Yugi couldn't blame them. Why fight when all was lost anyway?
"Good," Otogi said, slightly calmer but still huffing. He gestured at the secluded area where the Kisara, Jou, and the others from Tamiat stood. "And just so you won't change your mind in the future I'm about to show you what I do with traitors. Death and prison would be far too merciful. No, traitors deserve nothing but humiliation and torture for the rest of their lives. That's why I decided on the following…"
"Something that should be allowed in Atlantis as well," Dartz, not far from Yugi, whispered to Kek. Fear crept over Yugi's skin. Otogi lifted his chin as if he was proud of what he said next.
"For your several acts of treason against your lord and future Pharaoh I sentence each and every one of you to a lifetime of slavery."
It was as if those words shattered Yugi's world view and slowed down time for him to piece it back together. His vision blurred and everything he heard became a distant rumbling sound.
Otogi had sentenced his own subjects to a fate worse than death.
The one who claimed to only do what's best for Tamiat had just punished a part of it in a way no one deserved.
Why would Otogi act like this? Why…?
The realisation that followed cleared Yugi's mind from a fog he hadn't even noticed was there:
Otogi didn't care about Tamiat.
He never had. He had harmed it time and time again and Yugi had made dozens of excuses for Otogi. For trying to assassinate Atem, for siding with Atlantis, for his people suffering after the rebellion. For hundreds of minor conflicts ever since Yugi had met him.
All this time, Otogi had lied to everyone.
All this time, Otogi had only cared about himself.
All this time, Otogi had fooled him.
One spark after another ignited within Yugi, turning into a fire of rage. His sight and hearing sharpened like that of a bloodthirsty lion. His fury was pure, uncontrolled, and it demanded justice.
Otogi's lies, Yugi's gullibility, everyone's suffering – it would all end now.
It was in this moment that Yugi snapped.