Chaotic

Yuugi was woken earlier than he wanted to be the next morning; he had been sleeping rather soundly in Atem's room, but woke to Mahad shaking his shoulder. When the man saw his eyes open, he said, "You'll need to play Prince again today, Yuugi. It shouldn't be as bad as yesterday, and you have until the morning meal to do as you like, so about a candle mark. Normally, I would let you sleep, but I just felt there was something you needed to do."

The boy sat up sleepily, yawned, and stretched, then put some serious thought into what Mahad was saying. A light went off in his head and he said, "I need to see him."

"...You mean...the same one who caused you so much pain?" the man asked in concern.

"Yes," the younger man answered simply, calmly.

With a sigh and nod, Mahad said, "This way, then." Yuugi got up and pulled a robe and sandals on quickly, then the two left the room to head for the dungeons. As they walked, the Priest said quietly, "Even the Egyptian nobles can't tell the difference between you and Prince Atem, so you've done an impressive job. Just the same, until the Prince can take his role again, you must play his role when in public. You're likely to be seen if you go to the dungeons, and the only benefit you have is that we Guardians and the Pharaoh and Prince do, in fact, visit the dungeons to meet and pass judgment on criminals."

"That's good to know, and I still have to see him, Mahad," Yuugi replied.

For the rest of the walk, the two were silent, and everyone ignored them, other than to bow to 'the Prince'. They came to the head of a darkened stairway leading downward, and the man said, "Down these steps is the dungeons. Shall we?"

As he was about to go down, the boy asked, "Actually, could you wait here for me, Mahad?"

Mahad turned to look at him, about to protest, then saw the steady, calm gaze he was met with and relented, "Very well, as you wish, My Prince."

"Don't call me that, Mahad. You're my friend, after all," Yuugi replied automatically—and blinked in surprise when the Priest's lips twitched in amusement.

"The similarity between you can be equally amusing and frightening," the Priest said with a grin. "Now, did he tell you my reply?"

Pausing for a moment, Yuugi thought about it, then let out a sigh and replied, "That you'll call me by whatever title and name you feel I'm worth."

"That's right. Go see the one you need to see."

Nodding, the boy headed down the stairs and followed the torchlight through the more-or-less straight tunnel. It opened into a large room with a pit in the middle of it, a pit filled with spikes. There were platforms suspended by chains hanging over said pit, and a chair similar to a throne which was clearly meant to observe the pit sat against one wall. From the room, there were three exits besides the one Yuugi had just come from, though two of those were actually close together on one wall.

Since he wasn't familiar with the dungeons, the boy began looking for text to read, and found it on the door 'frames', of a sort, around the doors. The carving in the stone walls above the doors was a bit scary, as the two doors close together said 'death' and 'permanent'. The last, however, said 'temporary', so he went to it, since Atem was supposed to be let out soon, and was only there to cool down—or whatever.

He knew he'd chosen right just by looking down the hall at the food and blankets which—apparently—hadn't been touched. Sunlight shone in from in the cells, so it obviously wasn't the kind of dark, dank prison he'd been expecting. Going to the cell where all the food and blankets were, Yuugi looked inside and saw Atem sitting with his back to the wall, apparently sleeping. There was no sign he'd touched anything they'd left for him.

"Atem?" he called.

When he got no response, he reached down to pick up a pomegranate, then took aim and threw it. A moment later, the burgundy red fruit hit Atem's forehead, making him jolt and yelp in pain. His hand went to his sore head as he rubbed it, then he opened one eye to glare balefully at the person on the other side of the bars.

A moment later, his expression was replaced by one of shock and fear, even as his hand fell limply to his side and he mouthed Yuugi's name.

"Yes, Atem, it's me," Yuugi answered dryly, holding his hand through the bars. "Please come here."

For a minute, there was no reply, then Atem looked away and said sullenly, "You let the High Priest bed you."

"I wasn't exactly in my right mind at the time," Yuugi said dryly, and Atem flinched. "Anyway, it was your name he called, not mine. It isn't hopeless for you."

The silence which followed was long, so long Yuugi almost gave up. "Why did you come here?" the other teen finally asked.

"Your father misses you. He just agreed to stay out of this situation as long as you had blankets and food. You picked a bad time to get consumed by hatred, then go insane, though I sort of get why if you've been overloaded with memories...And, well, I came to say no one hates you, and they all want you back. I want you back, Mou Hitori no Boku," Yuugi told the Prince quietly. "Other Me...Nothing's the same without you."

"...Heh...you want someone back who would have brutally raped you if others hadn't come?" the taller teen asked with a half-insane smirk. "Are you a masochist?"

Yuugi picked up and threw another pomegranate at Atem's head, making him jolt and yelp again, then glare at his smaller lookalike. "Don't give me excuses like that, Atem," the boy said in a quiet, steady tone. "You did that to hurt yourself, and you would have killed yourself if the full-on rape had happened. You screwed up. It isn't the first time, and it won't be the last, because humans make mistakes, and you're only human. And you never make the same mistake twice, so this situation is over. The only one who has yet to forgive you—is you, Atem. Let it go so you can take back your position."

Atem didn't reply, just pulled his knees up, rested his head on them, and wrapped his arms around both knees and head. Since his shoulders were shaking, Yuugi knew he'd gotten at least some of his words through, but he couldn't do any more, so sighed and left. He remembered which path was the exit, so headed back out, climbing the stairs at a run—he didn't like it in the dungeons, so pitied Atem for having to stay there.

Outside, Mahad was beside him right away, eyes scanning him for injuries—

Only for a new voice to say, "I did not expect to see the Crown Prince either at the dungeons or dressed so simply. Where did all the Princely regalia go?" Mahad and Yuugi looked towards the voice to see the Lord's son who had been sitting beside him at the table the day before.

"Ah, that would seem odd to northerners, would it not? You tend not to deal with those your law must punish," Yuugi said, going into 'Prince mode'. "In Egypt, however, it is those who hold the highest power who also punish criminals. While the burden does not yet fall to me, I must know, both the punishments I will one day give and the reasons I must give them. To meet the criminals is the surest method to understand why certain unusual punishments are given."

The young lord frowned in confusion as he asked, "Unusual punishments? What would such a thing be?"

"For example," Mahad said before Yuugi had to try to reply, "A woman stealing food to feed her children has no malice or intent to harm in her. She will be given work in the Palace, and she will never again steal, because now she has the means with which to feed her children, and only if she steals again after that will she be given a punishment."

At the northern lord's cross-eyed expression, Yuugi chuckled and said, "In such a way, very, very few crimes are repeated, so we have surprisingly few criminals to punish at any given time."

"You give far too much care and consideration to those useless, worthless peasants, Crown Prince. Even I only associate with them for the entertainment value. You should not take such time or—" the young lord began.

Yuugi, however, was angered by those words, and cut him off harshly with, "There would be no kingdom for you to rule without those peasants, and happy peasants are much easier to control than any other kind. Giving them care and consideration means they will protect you from harm at their own expense, and will gladly do favors for you, not because you hold a title, but because they want to. They will do more and work harder for you than for others, even without being asked to do so. If there were no peasants, there would be no one to grow the food you eat, to make the clothing you dress yourself in, or to build your homes and furnishings. Do not call them worthless or useless, because you would have nothing without them!" The boy then began walking as he said, "Let us go, Priest Mahad."

"As you wish, My Prince," Mahad agreed, then looked at the lord's son and said, "You should not have angered him. I suggest you refrain from angering him any further while you are here." He then caught up to Yuugi and waited for the boy to say more.

After a pause, the Prince's lookalike said, "I think I just created a problem, Mahad."

The words made the man's mouth twitch in amusement. "You said the same things Prince Atem would have, if that's any consolation."

"...How do I fix it?"

"First, go get changed. Second, go to the Great Hall early to speak with your 'Father'. Third, tell him the entire situation. He will direct you further from that point, as needed, so follow his direction."

"But Mahad, that isn't me fixing it!"

"My Prince, what you just created is a political incident, and there is no way to fix it alone. Also, the Pharaoh will know exactly what to do, as this—or something like it—happens every time foreigners come here."

"...Atem gets into a lot of trouble on that one aspect?"

"Disturbingly often."

Mahad's thoroughly amused voice made Yuugi look up at him, then give a little grin. "To change, then."

PA-HPS-YM-SK

Soon after, in full regalia, Yuugi was sitting beside the Pharaoh in the Great Hall, speaking in near whispers to the man as he explained what he'd done. To his surprise, the older man looked amused by the time he was finished, then told him not to worry too much about it unless the young lord or the lord's father made an issue of it. And, if it became an issue, the Pharaoh would reply, and would only ask Yuugi to offer an apology for speaking rudely, not for the actual words he spoke. The Pharaoh then proceeded to teach him the words for a formal apology, then both finished eating.

For the morning meetings, nothing of interest happened, and they even had lunch in peace. It was in the afternoon when the young lord's father made the situation into an issue, even rising from his seat while a discussion about an exiled noble was going on. When he rose, everyone else fell silent, even his own countrymen clearly looking shocked, as all eyes fell on the Lord.

"Speaking of criminals," Lord Orion began. "Your kingdom is much too lenient if the—discussion—my son and the Crown Prince had this morning is any indication. Honestly, letting thieves go free without punishment—what else do you allow here? Murder? Adultery? We knew you were—er—un-Godly, but not to such an extreme."

The Pharaoh's mouth twitched in amusement as he said, "Both you and your son clearly chose to misunderstand. We do not allow criminals to go unpunished, but we will not be tyrants who give the same punishment to every crime. A theft of valuable goods is punished harshly in this land, as such a thing is born of greed, nothing more. A theft of food, on the other hand, is born of desperation and survival instinct, and is much better rectified by giving the thief hard work to do, paid work, so they have no need to steal. We are not tyrants, and unlike you northern barbarians, we work to fix problems, not to continue the situation or circumstances which created them." Upon hearing those words from the Pharaoh's mouth, Yuugi went cross-eyed and asked himself who was creating a political incident. The Pharaoh continued, "Murder is punishable by death, and most crimes committed out of ill intent, in this land, they are punished with a method much worse than death. We are not lenient on crime."

"Is exile considered 'a punishment worse than death'?" Lord Orion mocked.

At those words, the Pharaoh stopped trying to hide his smile, even as he sat back in a completely relaxed position and said, "Exile is only granted when one of our Gods intervenes directly, which is only three times in our recorded history. However, by our standards, if we could punish you by our laws, you would all be so corrupt you would receive the punishment in question. Said punishment would destroy your souls so thoroughly there would be nothing left to return to your God or Gods."

"Torture?" another lord asked sickly.

"Oh, no, not at all. We find such a pastime both singularly sickening and singularly pointless," the Pharaoh replied sweetly. "I meant it literally, My Lords. Your souls would be crushed, the evil in them taken and pulled from you, leaving what little good there may be in fragments. The evil then has a use for us—to protect our land. By the evil in your souls, you would be left too little soul to so much as lift a finger, let alone walk or talk. Your so-called 'Godliness' is naught but a lie, one we see and know all too well, and if you wish to continue this discussion, my Vizier can list all your crimes for you."

After a long silence, Lord Orion growled, "Impossible! No spy could know every crime a person committed!"

The Pharaoh raised a brow and said, "We have never sent spies to your lands, nor do we need to. As soon as you set foot in our lands, you have set foot in our powers as well. Vizier-Priest Akhenaten, if you will?"

"As you wish," the man agreed, 'eyes' on Lord Orion. "At ten, you stole your father's sword and used it to kill a stray dog and a four-year-old child for 'entertainment'. At fifteen, you raped a servant's eleven-year-old daughter, then claimed she and her mother wanted it, causing both to be stoned to death, what you decided was a 'just punishment' for 'causing you problems'. At seventeen, you hired a common drunk to kill a young nobleman who showed more proficiency than you on horseback, and when he failed, you kidnapped a guard's five-year-old son to force him to kill your rival. When your rival was dead and the guard captured, you poisoned him to death so he could say nothing about you, then raped and killed his son. At eighteen—"

"Stop! Stop that, you bastard! How dare you—" Lord Orion yelled, skin ashen and eyes wide in fear as he practically hyperventilated.

"Every word I have spoken is true, as you know well by your reaction," Akhenaten replied blandly. "Even the worst of our criminals are rarely so...accomplished. Also, if you have issue with the Crown Prince defending the peasants we all need to maintain our positions, do say so, rather than starting discussions you will lose."

A long silence fell as everyone stared at Lord Orion in something like stunned horror, and the Lord's eyes went to Yuugi. "You—how can you listen to these things and not be bothered by it? Apparently someone who can see into your mind—"

"First, Uncle Akhenaten cannot see into my mind, and second, a criminal deserves no better. It is also the best means to know a person's intent, other than my own skill to see others' souls, to see how good or evil they are," Yuugi replied dryly. "My Father, the Pharaoh, also has such a skill, as do the Guardian-Priests. You have only been safe to date as you have not presented real intent to harm since setting foot in our lands."

Suddenly, the mind and sense of the man changed as he drew his sword and jumped at Yuugi with his sword raised. As soon as Yuugi saw the sword heading for him, his training with Set began paying off—and the sword stopped in thin air before hitting him. The other men at the table had all gotten to their feet in horror, the Pharaoh reaching for the boy helplessly but too far to help him. Even the Shadow Guards had begun to move, though they knew they would never reach the boy in time. Then, when they realized the sword wasn't falling anymore, everyone stopped again, this time in pure confusion.

After trying for a minute to move his sword in any direction, Lord Orion yelled, "What in all the bloody Hells is this?"

"I am...slightly confused by that as well," Akhenaten commented in wry amusement.

"Just a trick the High Priest taught me, though I doubt he knew I would use it in such a way," the boy answered calmly, smiling. "It was meant to be used with water or other liquid substances, but it works well on other objects as well. And as the 'quick study' I tend to be, this is the result of being shown such a technique." His eyes then went to Lord Orion as he said, "You will not be able to move it until I release it, so please stop trying to kill me, Lord Orion. I perhaps spoke rudely to your son, but my words themselves were not wrong, and even rudeness is no excuse for attempted murder. I see no reason to offer an apology to one who has attempted to take my life. Do you agree, Father?"

"Yes, Atem, I agree. If anyone now owes an apology, it is you, Lord Orion," the Pharaoh said to the Lord.

After a long silence, the man let go of his sword, then sat down and said nothing else. The rest of the day ended with no further incident, and as everyone was leaving, Yuugi let the sword fall to the floor. Of course, he had already left the room by then, so the Lord couldn't have attacked him then, anyway.

"Pharaoh," Yuugi began quietly as he and the two older men walked in the direction of the Pharaoh's chamber. The man gave him a nod, so the boy asked, "Why did it sound like you were taunting him?"

"Because this happens every time Atem—and now you—have private discussions with foreign nobles," the Pharaoh laughed outright. "Also, Akhenaten told me Lord Orion was busy plotting ways to have you in his bed, so this should have forced all those various plots to come to a halt. He could only have you by your consent, and we can all safely say you would never grant it, and it would discourage others from even entertaining the thought. Yes, that is also fairly common with Atem as well, though he never questioned the fact that I do indeed taunt them. After all, between you and my son, you offer me the perfect opportunity to do so."

The boy stopped walking for a moment in shock, even as a bit of a tremor ran through him at the thought of any of the northerners in his bed. They weren't very savory people, and that was the least of his concerns at the moment, so he had never even considered such a possibility before. He then quickly caught up to the two older men.

"But, I think I made him very mad at me, and your taunting made him effectively want revenge. Normally, maybe your method worked, but I have a feeling Lord Orion may try even harder to harm me—I sensed he has a very vindictive streak," Yuugi commented. "Or, if Atem can take his position back soon, it may be him who suffers, and with his frame of mind right now, he may just...let it happen."

"I noticed the possibility as well. Did you want to go warn the Crown Prince, just in case?" Akhenaten asked, but there was an odd look in his good eye, a look which made the boy's stomach turn as he stopped again to stare at the man.

Both men stopped to look at him, the Pharaoh in puzzlement and Akhenaten—

"Yes, of course. I'll just hand myself over to him by going to the dungeons alone," Yuugi commented dryly to the man, who blinked in surprise as the Pharaoh frowned.

"What are you—?" the Pharaoh asked in confusion.

"Also, it would reveal to the northerners that I am not Atem, and he would know which of us to attack. And unfortunately, several of the lords right here in the Palace, Egyptian Lords, want me to either disappear or die. My Pharaoh, I've already been attacked since coming here, by hired assassins and thugs—I've never been 'safe' in this Palace," Yuugi informed the ruler shrewdly.

A long silence fell, then the man's eyes moved to Akhenaten and he asked, "Why did you not inform me of this?"

"Because he also wishes I would die or disappear," Yuugi said before the Priest could reply. "I don't think he actually intends me any harm, per se, he just doesn't want me 'here', so he'll say nothing about things which would be a danger to me, or he would give a tiny push to make me be in a particular place at a particular time. There's no evil 'intent' in that way, so even I won't see him as an actual 'enemy' or a 'danger'." His gaze went to Akhenaten's as he saw the man's lips were pressed into a fine line. "But I'll go see Atem, anyway, because I already have a pretty good idea of what to expect, and I do need to see how he's doing."

"If you feel it's a trap, why would you take such a risk?" the Pharaoh asked in complete shock.

"Since I came here, everyone's been doing everything for me, so this time...I'll do for myself." With that, he turned and headed away.