The Danger
Not long after, Yuugi and the other Priests walked into the military tactical chamber, where the Pharaoh, several other Lords, and the military leaders all stood around a large table. Around the walls, the foreign Lords, including Orion, sat or stood, watching intently, and a man who looked like a common foot soldier was kneeling near the Pharaoh as the man held a sheet of papyrus. When the Pharaoh saw Yuugi, he held the papyrus out to him, so the boy took it and began reading what he could understand of it. It didn't take long, as it was quite short.
"This happened last night, and with no forewarning," the Pharaoh said in a quiet tone. "But it seems to be even beyond the powers of the spirits we deal with, and the only clues Priest Karim was able to find to date is what he wrote there—the blackening of the crater. This leaves us the question of what to do against something we can neither identify nor trace to its source, as Priestess Isis has already made the attempt."
"Perhaps a man would have better luck?" one of the foreigners asked in a disgusted tone, making Isis, Mahad, and Set all glare angrily.
Calmly, Yuugi cut in with, "No man is more powerful than Priestess Isis at Seeing a distant location, past, present, or future, not even the Royal Line." His gaze was calm and even. He looked up at the Pharaoh and said, "But now that I have—been told the situation, I would like permission to join Priest Karim at the site, particularly after the odd 'dream' of the Gods I had that day."
Many pairs of eyes widened in shock or surprise, even as the Pharaoh blinked in an expression more akin to amazement. Slowly, he gave a small, half-smile and said, "You may indeed see something we all would miss, particularly since that day. Very well, my son, go with your teacher to the site, and report back to me as soon as you return."
"Yes, Father," Yuugi replied with a cordial bow. He then turned to go.
"What 'dream of the Gods' is this?" another of the northern Lords asked with a deep frown, looking angry or insulted.
Turning back to the man, Yuugi replied, "Unlike in your lands, our Gods become actively involved with us. Some time before you arrived here, two of them appeared to me in a dream to grant me knowledge and understanding I would otherwise not have, as well as telling me about their concerns and the reason for the gifts they granted me. As such, this may well be part of their 'concerns', and I will only know such a thing by seeing it myself. Now, if you would please excuse me...?" That time, no one said anything as he turned to go, and he said, "Priest Mahad, we had best hurry."
"Yes, Your Highness," the man agreed, turning to leave with him. Once they were outside the room, he asked with a hiss, "What are you doing? You don't even know how to ride, do you, Your Highness?"
Snorting, Yuugi answered, "I'm a half-breed, part of my own people, and part of yours. Do you seriously think my own family in this land would never have taught me to ride, regardless of the era?"
The other man gaped at him for a moment, then asked, "What do you mean?"
"My grandfather, a Japanese man, married an Egyptian woman. Even though I didn't often meet her family, there were three summers I spent with them, and they taught me to ride. They tried to teach me at least knife fighting, but I was dismal at it, so they gave up, and I wound up doing better at archery, even horse- or camel-back," the boy explained in amusement. "Er—can you find me some food, please?"
With an exasperated noise, the man leaned down to whisper in Yuugi's ear, "From the outdoor practice courts, continue past the edge of the Palace, through the gardens there, and to the stables. Prince Atem's horse, who happens to be too wild to be ridden by anyone but him, is a stallion with a roan body and a black mane and tail—his name is Shakir. If you can ride him, I'll also give you a bow, but I have doubts you'll even be able to find him without me." He then turned to go, even as the boy gave a little chuckle and turned to head back towards the practice courts and stables.
As he got to the courts, the man Atem always practiced with called, "Your Highness, perfect timing! I've repaired your sword for you!"
Blinking, Yuugi headed over to him and said, "Not a moment too soon. I have to go with Priest Mahad to the site where Priest Karim already is."
"Eh?" the man asked in surprise, then nodded and held a sheathed sword and belt out to him. "Then it's a good thing this was ready now. Also, it's best if you take a good bow with you, so wait here a moment."
"Of course," the boy agreed, taking the sheath in one hand. The man had turned away a moment later, heading to the small weapons hut nearby, so he turned his attention to the blade.
It was a cutlass-style sword, if more slender, but short, sharp, and curved, and Yuugi really had no clue how to use it. He still had to look like the Prince, though, so he drew the blade to examine and test it on his thumb—it was plenty sharp, and he didn't dare show pain right then, so forced an appreciative smile to his face, instead. Actually, for what it was worth, he could appreciate the blade, since it was really well-made, even if he couldn't really use one. As the man was leaving the hut, he returned it to its sheath and strapped it on securely, and had it belted by the time the man got back to him.
"This is one of our best bows," the man informed him, extending both a bow and quiver of arrows. "Since you haven't chosen a personal one yet, this should do you well enough, but use the arrows sparingly, and try to recover them, because it's very, very particular about its fletching."
"Ah," Yuugi blinked, taking them and examining the as yet unstrung bow and the fletching on the arrows.
It was true the fletching was unusual, with five feathers instead of three and with an edge patterned like a series of waves—each feather edge was designed differently, and only with the support of all five would an arrow fly straight. On the other hand, it would be nearly impossible to divert its course, as well, and the bow was strong and sturdy with a double-wound string. He paused to throw the quiver over his shoulder, then strung the bow quickly, feeling the strain on it as he did, then drew it back to the corner of his mouth to test the draw—and yes, the ebony wood they'd used was good wood. The arrows were also made of ebony wood, but harder than that of the bow.
As he unstrung the bow again, Yuugi smiled at the man and said, "Thank you. This will help if it happens to be needed."
"Of course. Be safe, Prince Atem," the man replied, waving him away.
Yuugi headed for the stables again, but heard a commotion as he was passing through the small garden area Mahad had mentioned, so ran forward to see what was wrong. There was a corral immediately outside the stables, and there were several horses in it, including two mares, both past their prime, a number of geldings, and—a roan stallion with black mane and tail. A foreign noble was trying to force the stallion to submit and was having no luck while the stable hands were yelling for him to stop.
As the noble was literally tossed to the ground and the stallion was about to jump forward and trample him, Yuugi tossed the bow aside and shot forward, vaulting over the corral rail and leaping to catch the rope halter around its nose and neck. Without even thinking about the chance he was taking or the danger of the horse's flying hooves, he threw all his weight downward on the rope, forcing the stallion's head down as it whinnied in alarm. A moment later, it stilled, shaking but no longer angry, so the boy slowly loosened his grip on the rope. Pushing himself up as the stallion lifted his head, Yuugi gently soothed the horse, murmuring to it about how it was all right, the foreign Lord wouldn't mount him, and the stallion's trembling stopped.
"Thank you for gaining control of that brute, Your Highness," the foreign Lord said, and took a few steps closer to them. "He needs to be broken in to a rider, and it would be best to let one of us break him to obedience. Now, if you would—"
When the stallion snorted in anger and started to pull back, Yuugi yanked his head down again and turned to the noble as he said clearly, "Shakir is my horse and mine alone. No other rider, no matter how skilled, has been able to earn his acceptance or trust, and I will not allow you to damage a stallion of such quality merely because he refuses to take another rider."
A moment of silence fell, then the man said, "Mount him, then. Show me you can indeed control the beast."
Facing the stallion again, Yuugi placed his hand on his nose firmly and whispered, "I know I'm not actually Atem, but Atem isn't himself right now, so please bear with me, Shakir. I won't harm you, and I won't let anyone else do so, either."
Once he'd said it, he slipped the halter off the stallion, who gave a pleased snort and shook out his mane, and a moment later, he'd unbuckled the half-buckled saddle, letting it and the saddle blanket fall to the ground. The stable hands were smirking at the Lord in amusement, and Yuugi placed all his trust in the stallion as he gave the horse's side a firm pat.
From what he knew of horses, and of the Egyptian Arabians in particular, they responded best to someone firm, but someone willing to give what they expected to get, and no horse, other than one which had never had human contact before, had ever shied away from or made a serious attempt to throw him. Placing both hands on Shakir's bare back, Yuugi vaulted up onto it and sat straight, even as the stallion gave a little hop, then settled as the boy's firm hand rested on his neck.
When he looked up at the Lord, the man's jaw was hanging open in pure shock, and the voice which cut in even made Shakir give a little start as it said in exasperation, "Next time you have to calm your stallion, don't just toss your bow aside to do so."
Yuugi looked up at Mahad with a little grin as the man approached and extended the ebony bow to him. "Thank you, Priest Mahad," the boy smiled, taking it. "I suppose I should saddle him properly now, though, since we need to go."
"Eat first," the man replied, offering a bundle tied with a napkin.
Yuugi ate while Mahad went to find his horse, then both made sure they were properly saddled, mounted, and headed out.
On the way, the older man asked, "So how is it Shakir likes you? I'm sure he can tell you aren't Prince Atem, Yuugi."
"I'm sure of that, too. I told him so," the boy answered, his voice dry. "But Mahad, have you ever noticed animals respond to what you think and feel? For a horse which wouldn't be dominant, anyway, it's not such a problem for them to allow a human dominance, but a stallion...you have to be their equal to earn their acceptance."
Mahad sighed, then nodded and said, "I suppose there's some truth to that. How did you get a bow and His Highness' sword?"
"The man who trains him in fighting arts gave them to me on the way to the stable, and I honestly like the bow. I don't think Atem would, though, even if he can use it well, since he's more likely to want a heavy, powerful bow instead of one which relies on balance and precision—this is a guaranteed arrow-splitter in the right hands," the boy told him.
"Too true," the older man agreed in mild amusement. "I can't help but think you know something you aren't saying."
"It's a guess, and I have to see the site to know if I'm just imagining things, but Mahad...even after the time Atem spent with me, he wouldn't recognize it if it is what I think it is. Honestly, I hope I'm just imagining it."
They fell silent for the rest of the ride to the village remains, and Yuugi rode right up to the rim of the crater, Mahad following behind in concern. When he finally got up the courage to join the boy at the edge, he noticed how the boy's eyes had gone blank and his lips were pressed into a fine line. It was no wonder, given the blackened hole, the debris fragments around them, some of clearly human origins, and the stench of burning rock, wood, flesh, and other substances.
"Mahad, Your Highness! What are you doing here?" Karim called from further around the circle as he headed in their direction with some soldiers.
Suddenly, Yuugi said, "Let's go down there, Shakir." A moment later, the horse had carried the boy on his back down into the blackened hole.
"Wait! It's clearly cursed—" Karim yelled in alarm.
"It's not a curse!" the boy yelled back as he pulled his stallion up short and jumped off his back to reach into the blackened rock. After a moment, he straightened and held up a fragment of something which shone in the light, examining it closely for a minute, then getting back on the horse's back.
As they returned to the top edge of the crater, Karim, who had reached Mahad by then, glared at him and asked, "And what would have happened if it had bitten you for trespassing?"
"Exactly 'what' do you think is going to bite me?" Yuugi asked curiously. "No, if you were thinking something supernatural did this, it wasn't any such thing." He held out the shard he'd taken from the middle of the crater, revealing a fragment which was obviously crafted metal, and even had some odd text on it under the soot. "This is a man-made weapon. I can't explain it here, but we have to return to the capital quickly."
As his eyes went to the soldiers, Karim went cross-eyed as he realized who had joined them at the crater, and who, by default, was controlling Atem's horse. After a silence, the man nodded and said, "We three will head back, and the soldiers can follow once they've been able to gather and re-form their ranks. On second thought, I'll send them to check other villages nearby, otherwise, we may miss the scope of the actual damage." He turned to one of the soldiers, one who carried a bag, and said, "Papyrus, brush, and ink." The soldier dug in the bag, then handed Karim the required items. The note was written quickly, then the Priest rolled it, put his seal on it, and handed it to the soldier. "Take that to the Captain. All of you, head back to the camp to wait for further orders from him."
With a smart, "Yes, Sir," the soldiers headed away in one direction while the messenger went off to find the Captain.
And Karim's eyes went to Yuugi sharply as he asked, "You'd better have a good explanation, Yuugi."
To his surprise, the boy nodded. "It is. This is a fragment of a missile—a weapon from my homeland. Or, since I think you've guessed, it's a weapon from the future of this world. It should not exist right now, but—from a single location, many missiles can be shot to strike many locations. Depending on how many missiles and how many launchers they have, it's even possible they could shoot enough of them to destroy Egypt, and by the looks of this site, there's a good chance that's their goal. If you want a comparison, think of it like someone taking a volcanic eruption and launching it from a catapult or bow. Also, depending on what's in the missiles, it can do worse damage than this, but Shakir wouldn't be all right walking around here if it was the worst kind of missile, so we're probably dealing with a standard kind—and it still does this much damage. There's also no way this era has to track them, and Isis couldn't see it in her vision, so there's really only one defense—to use Mirror Force to shoot it back at its own origin point so the launchers get destroyed."
"But no one is powerful enough to use a spell like that!" Mahad gasped.
Yuugi's eyes turned to him, and the boy asked critically, "Are you sure of that after you watched me use Fusion?"
Mahad froze as Karim stared at the boy and asked slowly, "You can use Fusion without the Scales?"
Looking at Bastet's priest, Yuugi said, "I can. I'm able to use anything I 'know', and I know Mirror Force, Swords of Sealing Light, Fusion, and many, many others—I can even call the God-Beasts if I need to, but Atem told me I shouldn't, since even he's not technically supposed to know how yet. If Atem could get his head back on straight so we could work together, literally even the Gods themselves couldn't stand against us."
"I thought these were things we weren't supposed to know?" Mahad asked tiredly.
"They were, but I don't have time for that anymore. Let's go," Yuugi said, turning to head back towards the Palace.
PA-HPS-YM-SK
Set was still so furious with both Orion and Shada that he pretty much avoided them for the rest of the day, and was trying very hard to concentrate on his work. Rather than concentrating on it, though, his mind strayed. At first, it was to Yuugi, but for as much as he couldn't see things as simply as the boy did, his thoughts soon turned to Atem. And as soon as they did, they stayed there, making him even more frustrated. For as much as there were things he needed to do, none of them would get done if he couldn't focus on them, so he tried again and again to focus.
When he found himself wondering what it would feel like to kiss Atem, he gave a frustrated sigh, ran his hands through his hair, and rose to go to the dungeons. Once there, he had to wonder what he'd accomplish after his spectacular failure last time, but, well, he was already there. Heading down the hall to the Prince's cell, he found that some of the things from outside had disappeared, and when he could see into the small room, he realized the other teen had been eating and had given in and taken one of the blankets.
"Atem," he called to the young man laying on a rather messy nest of blanket. The other's crimson-amethyst eyes opened and met his, looking accusatory. "Don't give me a look like that. Seriously, we need you back before the whole lot of us go stir crazy. It's neither a joke nor pity—not when it looks like there's going to be a fight."
Slowly, the Prince sat up and asked, "What do you mean...there's going to be a fight? Wasn't Yuugi convincing enough to pass for me?"
"He was, maybe a little too much, but...as of this morning, a village nearby was destroyed, forcing Yuugi—someone who knows he's no good at physical things—to take up your role as commander, tactician, and soldier. He's already gone to the site which was destroyed, Mahad and Karim as his only real protection so far. There's no way he can keep it up if he's put in a position where he'll have to fight with a sword or another weapon," Set informed the other teen.
Looking away, Atem apparently thought about the words, then looked back up at the man and asked, "Last night...did he really walk away with Shada and a foreigner?"
When the High Priest blinked and stared in surprise, Atem pointed up at the small, bar-covered window above his head, near the top of the wall. Heaving a sigh, Set nodded and said, "Basically, to keep you from being found by the foreigners, he went to town with a 'teacher' and a Lord called Orion to be—thoroughly bedded. He didn't even stir until mid-afternoon, that's how thorough it was."
The smaller teen flinched and sighed, then gave his head a shake. "Set...it's not possible anymore..."
Blinking again in surprise, the older of the two wondered if Atem's use of his name meant he'd calmed down, then frowned and asked, "What do you mean, it's not possible anymore?"
"...I mean...whatever happens for the rest of their stay...it's in Yuugi's hands. I can't switch back with him now, or the Lord he went with will know it. Besides, after what I did...I shouldn't just be in here to 'calm down'..." Atem sighed again, staring down at the floor in a depressed, dejected way.
"...Then you're welcome to hide in my personal chambers," the High Priest offered, making the Prince look up at him slowly.
"...Stay in your...Why?" the smaller teen glared up at him.
"Because...I'd like to be intimate with you," Set replied, simple and straightforward.
It was a taboo to say so freely in a 'public' place, so Atem was shocked by the words for that alone. But then— "Me or Yuugi?"
"You, Atem," the taller said dryly. "Yes, I'm worried about Yuugi, but he likes to totally mess everyone up, and I'm finding it singularly frustrating, especially since Lord Orion just tried to kill him earlier yesterday. You are a much more stable and familiar presence, and now that I've been thinking of you as really two separate people, I'm starting to see those things so much more, the things I used to take for granted. What I am, and was, attracted to wasn't your appearance, but you as a person, and at the time, I thought it wasn't possible, so I...moved those feelings onto Yuugi, made him a scape-goat. I don't want to do that anymore, so it's you I'd like to have in my bed. That is, if you would allow me?"
For a minute, there was no response, then the Prince's eyes widened and he asked, "You can still say that, even after the horrible things I said and did...?"
Set extended his hand through the bars, offering it to Atem as he said, "If your intent had been to 'harm Yuugi', you wouldn't have gone nearly insane from it, which really only leaves the option of you trying to harm yourself. After thinking about it for awhile, I actively realized how much my inability to tell you the truth hurt you, and that was on top of you struggling with memories you shouldn't have had yet. I'm sorry."
Slowly, the smaller teen rose and reached out for the hand.