Hey, my lovely readers! Sorry that it took so long to get the next chapter out. I was stuck in a writer's block, but now I'm out of it! For now. I haven't had the opportunity to thank all of you individually, through PM's, so I will do so here. Thank you, all of you, for your wonderful reviews. This story is growing fabulously, and I am very proud to see how far we've gotten. However, there is still a long way to go. We've only hit quarter of this story so far.

I also feel a bit bad. You're all waiting for Yugi to meet Atem, and by delaying their meeting with details and thoughts without getting straight to each event quickly, I understand how it can be a pain. I don't know if this will make things better, probably worse, but I can tell you in which chapter they will meet. They will meet in Chapter 18. Yes, as soon as the chapter starts Yugi is standing before Atem. It's what I have planned so far, and the suspense has become irritating, I get it. But I do hope you remain patient with me. Your support means everything. I apologise for the delays, and I thank all of you for reading.

REVIEW~

i – Thank you for the review last chapter. I'm glad it was better than the others (from what I can tell). I haven't made any changes, yet, to chapter 11, as you mentioned some amelioration is needed, but one thing is for sure though, I have to go through all of the chapters again. When reading through the previous chapters, I find these odd, tiny mistakes that are driving me crazy! Anyways, thank you for all the time and thought you put in with guiding me as the story goes on. It really means so much. I hope you like this chapter.

Enjoy everyone~

Secrets Underground

Chapter 12

With my heart suddenly hammering away in my chest, my eyes quickly flicked back over to the spot where I saw those cold, blue irises hidden behind a large, white canopy of one of the stalls. The sun made me see bright lights everywhere I looked, so I squinted to see if the person I had seen was indeed there, but unfortunately, or fortunately, I couldn't. Whoever was there was now long gone behind the rushing and bustling of the villagers who had grew notably in the few hours since I had been out. And as my burning feet reminded me as to how hot the sun was, my body kicked right back into action and I jogged towards the covering for some shade. I couldn't help but scan the crowd once more though, just to ease my soul that had become restless with anxiety. Maybe I hadn't seen Priest Set eyeing me, and it was just my mind playing tricks on me, the boiling hot sun finally taking its toll. That had to be it, right? Because if it had been Set that I saw, surely he would have an army of guards lined up behind him. I frowned, another question appearing in my head. Why would he be so interested in me? Was it because I looked a lot like the Prince, like Mana had told me? I sure hope it was just that and not because of something else, like them thinking I'm here to replace the Prince or something.

Standing under the shade now, breathing a bit heavily from my quick jog, I tried trying quench my dry mouth with my equally parched tongue as I rubbed my sandy feet against my bare legs and looked around to see how in the world I was going to return to Ramose's house. It was only an hour or two away from noon, and Ramose had told me to take as much time as I liked, but with the sun being too hot for my liking and my mission weighing heavily down on my mind, sightseeing all day didn't seem too great. There was too much for me to worry about, so I couldn't afford to let myself have too much fun else I forget what I came here to do.

As I looked around, down the street that I had come through earlier, pushing the anxiety-building thoughts to the back of my mind for the moment, it didn't take me long to pinpoint the cavern that I had passed on my way to this part of the village through the crowd of people that walked down the street. Just at the end of the path, I noticed that the cavern had quite a few men loitering by the door, and peering down the street even further, I quickly made out the main street, the large amount of people walking about too clear to miss. And, if my memory was as sharp as Grandpa would say it was, then just on the opposite side of the road, Ramose's home was only a few houses down the narrow walkway.

Pleased, a small grin broke out on my face. I wasn't going to get lost after all. Deciding I shouldn't stick around any longer than I had to, I wiped the sweat away from my upper lip and began to walk down the road, dodging the people that moved quickly around me. As sweat rolled down my back, the heat a bit too much to bare and was starting to make me very uncomfortable, I tried to remained calm, even when some of the villagers dropped to their knees unsurely before me, their eyes widening as soon as they saw me, before eventually scurrying away. My mind scrambled for an explanation, only to halt, a slightly annoyed look crossing my face for a second or two. Of course. They thought that I was the Prince! How could that possibly not cause problems for me in the future?

I sighed, shoving down the urge to throw my arms up in the air because of my luck, and instead walked quicker, trying to ignore the odd stares that some showed. It was very strange to walk around Ancient Egypt like this. It still felt so surreal. However, despite my reasons for being here, I had to admit that it was nice. Wandering down the street and just smelling the aromas that seemed familiar, but very different. The rank of fish, the sounds of meat being chopped with a course knife, the smell of spices and the slight crackle of the small flame under the pots…

Looking down at my dusty feet, my hand pulling at my shendyt that kept rising up as I walked, I couldn't help but get pulled in by the thought that had been dancing around my mind ever since I came here. What exactly had happened to me in my regular time era? I was trapped in that tomb before I was transported here, and it had only been a day since I've arrived in Ancient Egypt, so surely the crew was well on their way into rescuing me. They'll be worried though when they open the tomb up and I'm not in there though. Especially Grandpa. He was injured when the tomb collapsed. As that piece of information made a reappearance in my mind, I gulped, worried. Was Grandpa injured very badly? There was a lot of blood coming out from his leg when I last saw him. Taking a deep breath, I tried to calm myself. He would be fine. He had Professor Arthur with him and the crew who would take good care of him.

I slowed as I reached the main street before eventually coming to a standstill. The sun was hitting me at a different angle now that the houses weren't protecting me from its rays, so I found my right eye squinting as I took a look around. Easily, through the people that walked up and down the road, their arms holding woven baskets, I was able to make out the somewhat familiar path with the sharp curve that went deeper into the village. Letting out a breath that I had been holding, perhaps due to the heat, I started walking, being careful to stay out of other people's way as they moved quickly. I looked towards the street, and peering all the way to the end of it I could just imagine the road thinning out after you passed the turn, and eventually it will end when it reached the old, abandoned medicine hut…

How did I know that?!

Stopping in the middle of the road, I stared at the ground, dumbfounded. How did I know there was a medicine shop there? I looked up, scanning the crowd for Shadi to explain that to me even though I knew he wasn't going to be anywhere around. Was it another memory about my past life making a slow appearance? Conflicted and very much confused, I started to walk again as my mind tried to refocus back on to the task at hand. It was hard. Maybe I would have to pay a visit to that abandoned medicine shed, just to make sure that I wasn't losing my mind. But, what if it was actually there? Then, that would really back up Shadi's claims of me being from this time. Yes, I didn't believe what he said about me wholeheartedly, but I was ready to accept it to get out of this time period because that much was true.

With my legs itching from the sand, I glanced around myself a bit, hearing the small tinkling of beads and the scrapes of pots that were like music to my ears. The sounds of this busy marketplace reminded me a bit like home, during those times when I would walk through the flea market with Grandpa excitedly by my side, scrounging around for history books and strange objects to add to our "odd" collection that we had at home. The language of these people also started to fill me with a weird sense of warmth since I was able to understand their every word. If I closed my eyes, I could barely detect the difference between the places which were so drastically different.

During the few seconds I closed my eyes, I truly did listen to the words and sounds that flew around me in my moment of tranquility. There was laughter, an aura of happiness radiating from everyone, and excitement that bubbled over, the atmosphere piquing my interest. Bringing myself back to reality because of it, I took a look around and couldn't help but notice the ornaments, jewellery and food that was being bought in bundles by the people. That was definitely unusual. It looked as if they were all preparing for something. A celebration of some sort. That would explain the high dose of excitement. Fully interested, I couldn't help but listen in on the few words of conversations I passed to try to figure out what was going on.

"Niyab, come here! Your dress…"

"I'm making a wonderful supper for…"

"Mama, Mama, can I get that…"

"… and with the festival approaching, I'll need new…"

So that's what was going on! I took another look around me, the smiles on the people, even though their bodies were tired out, making me happy. They were preparing for a celebration! But, what festival? I took a look up at the palace that loomed far ahead, still standing proud and tall over the village, power radiating from the structure alone. For this time of the year, there shouldn't be any festivals happening. Not one as big as this seemed to be anyways. Then, what was it? As I neared Ramose's house, my mouth twisted in slight confusion. Surely Ramose would know, or atleast mention about it. I could ask him.

Entering Ramose's lot, I immediately noticed that the front door was closed. What should I do then? Knock? Go in? But, that would be rude. As I stood in front of the door, contemplating, Ramose's loud voice caught my attention and I turned my head towards the sound. It was coming from the back of the house.

"Merimose! Get the hoe and dig up that end. I'll tie this up."

"Okay," I heard Merimose answer, and it was all quiet again except for the moos of cows and sound of dirt being dug up from the earth.

Without hesitating, I began walking towards the back. It must have slipped my mind that Ramose was working in the field. Here I was about to get worried because I thought I was locked out until someone came home. Shaking the top part of my tunic as I walked towards the back of the house, the slight breeze airing out my damp chest, I turned and made my way past the big bunch of wheat that was tied up with cloth into bundles, and left by the side of the house. They were small bales, not large ones like the ones in my time period. Stopping to gaze at them, it seemed as if they were preparing them to be shipped somewhere, somewhere like the palace… Right. How could I have forgotten that Ramose's family were the ones who helped in providing food for the higher ups as well?

"Timaeus, you've returned," Ramose suddenly said, and my head snapped up to see him looking at me as he wiped his dirt-filled hands on a rag before tossing it on the ground in a corner when he was done. His skin was layered with sweat and grime, and his chest heaved up and down as he stood there. "I hope you had a good walk," he continued, and I stepped forward until I was at a better speaking distance with him.

"Err, yes, I did. The village is quite wonderful," I replied with a small smile before my eyes glanced away from him for a split second and towards the field. I looked away, only to turn back to the wheat field they had made with astonishment and interest. It was… amazing! Long grains of wheat sprouted from the mud that was thoroughly soaked with water, the soft wind causing the wheat to sway, and from the looks of it, they were getting ready to dig some more. Merimose was silent as ever, fetching the hoe as he walked towards the unplanted section of the field to do what Ramose had told him. It was true, I realised. The hoes used during this time period was very different. For one, it was much shorter, just about the size of a person's forearm. It was wooden as well, a wooden blade connected to it that was unable to move once it had been set in place. And to hold it all together was a small piece of rope. The tool was small, so it required the person using it to bend down and work which would cause a great strain to their back. I looked on as Merimose dug vigilantly, the aches and pain of the job still waiting to come and wreak havoc on his form as he got older.

"There is a lot of other work to be done," Ramose mumbled to himself, probably noticing that I was staring, and I turned back to him to see him eyeing the other tools that were spread out on the ground. Sickles, knives, grain scoops, and a few wooden ploughs that they would put on their cattle to help dig the soil were seen.

"Is there a festival approaching?" I asked, and at my question Ramose turned to look at me with wide, surprised eyes. I bit my tongue. Did I say something wrong? Was I being too intrusive?

"Ah, yes, there is. How did you know?" he asked, and from the corner of my eyes I noticed that Merimose had turned back to give us a quick glance, probably hearing my question as well.

"As I was walking through the village, I heard people talking about preparations for a festival." I had to answer honestly. There was nothing to suspect about me if he tried, that being said because it wasn't that hard to tell that the man didn't fully trust me, even though Mana was the one who brought me to him. "I was just wondering, since I didn't realise there was one approaching," I explained further.

Ramose was quiet, mulling my answer over in his head, and as he did that, I mentally sighed and turned back to look at Merimose who was now conversing with one of the many workers who helped on the farm. In the boy's hand was a knife, a sharp looking one at that too which he was fidgeting with, and from my experiences, fidgeting was a sign of nervousness, especially once I hit university and had to involve myself with more people. Perhaps it was the same deal with Merimose. The boy must have started helping his father only recently, and from the way he refused to meet the eyes of the older boy's as he spoke, it was clear that he was still a bit shy.

The knife however continued to glimmer in the sun, its light bouncing on to the ground and on to other things with the way Merimose moved. I watched as the little dot of light travelled across the ground and the walls of the house, disinterested, when Ramose went off to speak to an elderly looking man who had arrived. The breeze was nice back here, and that eased me a bit, so I found myself aimlessly following the dot, my thoughts empty for once. I got unnerved though when the dot started interfering with the eyes of a mean looking cow that two of the boys were using to plow the ground, and with a deep moo, the cow stepped back and started moving away, its head turning towards Merimose and the glowing dot of light only to turn it back when it reached its eye again.

"Hey there," one of the boy said carefully, and he pushed the cow back, holding it as it tried to move. He looked up at the other boy who was holding the rope, the one who led the cow where it needed to go. "Keep it stiff, tighter," he warned, and the other boy nodded, his grip tightening.

The brown coloured cow, darkened with mud, kept turning his head back towards the source of the light, and even I could tell that it was getting quite angry. Its hooves were digging into the mud now, refusing to move when the boys pulled, and soon it started taking steps towards Merimose who was still speaking to those other boys, unaware of the bother he was innocently creating. The two boys with the cow though were clenching their teeth, their control over it clearly wavering. They were pushing the cow, trying to keep it where it was and desperately trying to distract it from whatever got it so bothered. They didn't notice the light. My heart thudded, and I looked towards Merimose fearfully as the cow took two, strong steps forward, pushing the boy away, forcing him to grab on to the rope and pulling with the other boy. That kept it still, for only a few seconds because the cow gave a big tug, the rope wrenched away from the hands of the two boys.

"Hey, watch out!" one of the boys yelled, and I found myself stepping forward with wide, fearful eyes as the cow took two steps forward towards Merimose, and charge, his head lowered to put its big horns in the path it was going in to destroy its enemy.

"Merimose! Look out!" I found myself shouting when the boy didn't hear the first call, and when he looked at me, my instincts kicked in, going with the feeling in my gut that was telling me he wasn't going to be able to move in time. Without hesitating I dashed across the sand and into the field to push the boy out of the way who cried out in surprise as my body made an impact with his. In seconds I found myself on the ground with the boy held tightly in my arms, and as I looked up at him through squinted eyes, I saw him looking down at me fearfully before glancing around, no doubt in search for Ramose. I could feel his heart pounding against mine as I slowly sat up with him on my lap, and I too looked around for that cow, only to let out a small sigh of relief when two men blocked its path, grabbing the rope and pulling it in the other direction. I looked away from them when I saw Ramose running towards us with huge, worried eyes.

"Merimose, are you alright?!" he asked, and slowly the boy nodded and got to his feet as Ramose held him by the waist. With the boy off of me, I too got up and flinched when I felt the mud that was now caked on to the back side of my body.

"Thank you so much," Ramose said as he patted Merimose down, the instinct of a parent kicking in to see if their child was alright. "My son would have been badly injured if you hadn't went to his aid. How could I ever repay you for what you've just done?"

"There's no need," I replied, smiling through the icky feeling of the mud that was quickly getting on my nerves. The sun wasn't helping, and the wind died down the second I moved. "I'm just glad that I was able to realise what was going to happen and push him out of the way in time."

Ramose nodded, his face holding utmost sincerity as he stared at me, only to look away and cast a glance towards the cow that now required three men to haul and tie down to the side of the house. Hoof marks were seen through the sand and mud, and as I eyed the tracks, Ramose's voice made me turn back towards him. I had to squint to look at him since the sun was now directly above our heads and practically blinding us since we were so out in the open.

"The animals can be uncontrollable at times," he said. "They cause more work and many of our crops are lost because of them. And with the festival so close… we can't afford to lose any more..."

I remained quiet as he spoke, listening attentively. Through my studies, I learned that being a farmer in Egypt wasn't so easy. Besides, from what I've just witnessed, even though it was just a tiny piece, it was clearly a tough life a person had to live, given their limited set of tools and lack of machinery that made farming in the future a lot easier. Farmers, which many of the people in Egypt were, would work through the day in the field and then through the night where they would make their ropes and tools in preparation for the next day. And many times, farmer's would wake up to find their field broken due to animals trampling and eating everything they had planted, their tools stolen by thieves, and the dangerous creatures that lurked in the sand and mud just waiting to pounce.

"If you don't mind me asking… What festival is coming?" I looked back at him as I slowly inched farther away from between the crops and closer to the house where I would be able to get some shade. Having him bring up the festival reminded me that I still didn't know what the upcoming celebration was for. Seeing me walk away to stand under the shade, he too followed me closer to the house where we could talk and sweat less.

"The Sed festival," he said, his mind still a bit far away even after he had sent Merimose in search of his mother to assist instead. I however, my heart leaped up back to my throat this time with excitement.

"The Sed festival!" I exclaimed, and Ramose nodded.

"I believe you know of this celebration?"

"Of course," I answered. "It's one of the things I learned before coming to Egypt. It marks the number of years the Pharaoh had been in power, and celebrates the other years of his rule to come."

Ramose smiled, nodding in agreement, holding his arms behind himself as he gazed out at the field once more. "That's right. This will be the first time that we are celebrating Pharaoh Aknamkanon's Sed celebration. It has to be the best, and it will."

I clasped my hands together in front of me, the smile refusing the leave my face. This was Pharaoh Aknamkanon's first Sed festival, so that meant his thirty years of rule was just around the corner. Like many of the Pharaoh's in the past, the Sed festival was celebrated after a ruler had held the throne for thirty years, and then it would be celebrated every three years with hopes of revitalising the pharaoh's strength and energy while they still held the throne. It was a way to celebrate the success of the Pharaoh, and they would do that by holding the honorary jubilee. Temple rituals will be done followed by processions, offerings, and other religious devotion as the ceremonial raising of a symbol that represented strength. It was really something that I would love to see, but at the moment I didn't know whether me being trapped in this time period was a curse, or a blessing.

"I don't know how I will ever get this all done," I heard Ramose go on, and I watched as he put a hand to his forehead to wipe away the sheen of sweat. "Tomorrow I have to go to the palace to see what vegetables are remaining and what other things we will need. I can't afford to have things fall even farther behind schedule."

"Um… If you don't mind," I began, looking around the field that clearly needed all the help that it could get, "I could help you."

Ramose's eyes widened. "No. Of course not. You are my guest and I will not allow you to work. For today you've done more than you should, so just sit down and I can get one of the boy's to give you some food and something to drink… you just relax. And if you want, we will fill another pot for you to clean yourself off. I'll get you another tunic-"

"No, I insist," I said again. "I would really like to help you." It would be boring to just sit by myself, although, rinsing myself off didn't seem like such a bad idea. The slowly hardening mud on my skin made me like that idea a bit more, but in the end, I really meant what I said about helping them. I was here, so I should atleast help in all the ways I could.

"I refuse," Ramose said gravely, and I flinched at the tone and looked up at him. Never did he seem so tall to me until this moment. "You are my guest and so you will not work. I will get you some clothes, and you will clean yourself off. Please. It does not seem nice for you to work like this for me."

"Well, since I'm your guest, it will only feel right to me if I help. I'm new to this place and I've come here to learn as well as explore." I grinned seeing his surprise at my bold denial. "I have explored, now I want to learn. Please?"

"I appreciate you wanting to help, but this is my job, not yours. It is my responsibility to get everything ready for the festival," he explained seriously, and I frowned with disappointment as he ushered me towards the house.

"Can't I even help with something small? I will try my best and I won't let you down. Please," I continued to beg, and as Ramose opened the front door, he gave me a look. The wonderful look of defeat.

"Oh, alright," he said, and I grinned broadly. "If I need anything done, I will ask you. However, you will work with Merimose, okay?"

"Perfect!" I said, nodding in agreement with his condition, and I stepped into the house when he gestured for me to enter. "Thank you," and he nodded once, glancing at me before quickly walking into his room. I waited, my heart filled with excitement. I knew it was going to be difficult, but how many other archaeologists can say that they did chores like the Ancient Egyptians did? I was laughing to myself only to swallow the childish sounds down when Ramose came out with another set of clothes for me to wear. It was another white tunic, very similar to the one I was wearing now.

"Wait here. I will get some water," he explained, and he left, leaving me alone in the house. Smiling once more, I decided to take a seat on the mat only to remember that I was filthy, and Senisonbe wouldn't like it if she had to come home and clean up after me. So as that thought came in my head, it was tossed out. I remained standing, pacing slowly back and forth across the small living room.

Tomorrow Ramose was going to the palace. He would be going inside of the palace, and perhaps, he would also run into the Pharaoh. And possibly, the Pharaoh's son! This could be my chance to get in as well and meet with the Nameless Pharaoh. That was what I was supposed to do. I had to get into the palace, and so far, this was the only way that I could see. If I asked, I wonder if Ramose would allow me to tag along with him. It was a long shot, but I should atleast try, right? And, even if I don't get to meet him, I could also possibly catch a glimpse of him and be able to see the palace. It was a good plan, for now. And even if it wasn't, I was doing what I would do. It could be right or wrong, but I would never know unless I tried, right?

"Alright, here you go. This should be enough," Ramose said as he entered with the tall pot of water, and in mere seconds he had placed the pot inside of the bathroom.

"It's perfect. Thank you," I said, and he nodded as he made his way towards the door once again. As the door swung shut, I moved and stepped into the washroom, pulling the white curtain close. Putting my hand in the cold water, I took a deep breath. Hopefully, with every decision I made, my so called memories would be unlocked and everything would become clearer. I was getting quite tired of the uncertainties.

And there we have it. The end of this chapter. I will be sure to get started to the next chapter ASAP, because making you all wait like this isn't something I like doing. Three months of wait will not happen again.

And yes, not much goes on, but we are getting somewhere, right? Yugi has a shot at getting into the palace. I hope it wasn't too… slow as well. Yugi rescuing Merimose was supposed to be a start to developing some trust between him and the family, so I hope that was fine. I feel that there are repetitions, but I don't know where anymore because I read through this chapter so many times. I just wanted to get this update up. No need to delay things further because I'm delusional. Overall… I'm starting to feel as if I just… rushed… this entire chapter. Forgive me.

Thank you for reading, and please leave a lovely review or constructive criticism.

Bye~