When Anzu finally woke up she felt rested as never before.
For a while, she forgot everything about the last night, her mind concentrating only on the fact that she was free to sleep.
But soon, along with the persistent sunrays, the memories of yesterday flooded back. Arkana was gone. But the prince and his troops were still here.
She opened her eyes and looked around. She was in her mother's room and nothing seemed out of place. Now, with the sun shining outside, the fear and despair lost its impact. Instead of dread, Anzu felt hope. Their visitors had not killed them yet, and after the talk with Mana Anzu had a premonition that they will not do so, unless provoked. What could be counted as provocation was a different matter.
She got up, and got dressed.
When she opened her doors, Yugi was not there.
Neither was Mana.
Yet, Anzu did not feel worried. The calmness she felt was strange, but it was a definite improvement compared with the terror of yesterday.
She went down to the kitchen. No one was in sight, but then, she didn't' t expect anyone to be. After all, the knights were only people. She looked around for provisions, but there was not enough for a breakfast for eleven people. Maybe that's why Yugi was nowhere to be seen. He probably went to the town. She couldn't do anything without meat or bread, so she just sat down.
She had nothing to do. There was no duty. She had literally nothing to do. Arkana demanded many things to be done, things that were not necessary, and without him Anzu had no idea what to do with her time. Clean? Everything was cleaned yesterday, before the invaders came. Polish the silver? Done. Laundry? Done.
She was free.
It was a strange concept.
Then, she remembered. Father's room. She got up and went upstairs. She could finally get rid of Arkana's mark on the room. Now it would be given to Yugi who deserved it as his father's son.
She stopped in front of the door.
Some part of her was afraid. What if she opened the door and found Arkana still here?
It was impossible, she knew.
And yet.
Anzu swallowed and opened the door.
He was not there.
Of course, he wouldn't be.
She released a breath she didn't know she was holding.
Almost every item her father possessed was either thrown out or destroyed. She was never permitted to this room, so she assumed he brought some things of his own to this, making up for father's furniture.
But no.
Only furniture here was their mother's.
Every piece of her jewelry, every dress she possessed, was here. Even her mirrors or her hairbrushes, useless to the man, were hidden here.
On the dressing-table Anzu spotted mother's perfume, untouched.
He must have loved her very much.
She was aware of that before, but only now she understood to what extent.
But that changed nothing. Love was not an explanation for things Arkana did to her and Yugi. Love was a force, a feeling, and it depended on the man what he did with it. Arkana chose and was held accountable, he was given the price to pay.
Anzu was sure that Yugi was now busy making excuses for Arkana, now that the man was dead, but Anzu didn't have it in her. She refused to let go of her memories of torment, both Yugi's and hers, she refused to absolve Arkana of his sins. She was better off without him. And Yugi was too. Besides, understanding someone did not necessarily mean forgiveness. She was not ready to forgive. Her story was still in motion.
She could not determine how her life with Arkana would factor in her future.
But after the whole night, she finally saw the light. Maybe, it was for the better.
And maybe, even though terrifying, this prince was the one they needed.
Sound of steps brought her back to reality.
She went on cleaning the room.
Before Yugi gets back, he will have a room ready.
/
Yugi didn't know how that happened.
One moment, he was wary and unsure of his companions, the next he was talking animatedly with Mana and Mai, the blonde woman who defeated Joey.
Anzu would possibly scold him later, for she usually considered his trusting nature to be at least unwise, bordering on dangerous, but for now Yugi could not be bothered.
He never noticed it before, but before Arkana's death the only ones he came into contact with was Joey and occasionally people in the village.
Now, he was free to talk to anybody he wanted.
No one would scold him, and no one will tell him to shut up. Mai and Mana, when he finally let go of the fact that they were of Mad Prince's troops, proved to be amusing companions.
"Oh, come on! Like you have never been peeking at girls at the tailor's." Teased Mai, as Joey started to shout his indignation at her, and Yugi chuckled, for the first time in months.
Mai, though tough and imposing at the first sight, was not only interesting, but pretty friendly. She was the one who spotted Joey trying to sneak on the group in the forest, and she actually warned him before she captured him. It was just like Joey to rush head-first into danger only because he was too confident in his skills to actually think.
They questioned him and then, knocked him out, according to Joey- after a long fight. According to Mai- with one well-aimed punch.
Maybe that fact, followed by the group's insistence on taking him with them and not leaving him to die in the forest finally made Yugi warm up to the knights. He couldn't really judge them for actions of their leader. Everyone was their own person, no matter who they followed and believed in. Or at least, they should be considered as individuals, not as a group.
And as individuals, Mai and Mana seemed... nice.
"Hey... Not that I am opposed to it, but why are you exactly accompanying us?" He asked after a while, no longer afraid of saying anything.
"Well... We do want to see the city..." Started Mana, uncomfortable one again.
"...And we need to keep an eye on you." Finished Mai, and Mana looked at her with gratitude. " Our place of stay must remain a secret for now and whether you would do it consciously or not, we cannot let you inform people that we are staying at your house." She explained.
"Why exactly?" Yugi didn't ask why they didn't trust them, because he himself wasn't ready to trust them yet, but the purpose of the knights and the secrecy was something Yugi was dying to ask about. Mana seemed unsure of which part of their mission she was able to reveal to them, but Mai seemed more confident.
"Because we are not entirely welcome here. I think you remember that our prince is supposed to be dead. And I can assure you, the suicide story is a very vicious lie." At that, Mai's eyes narrowed. She looked angry all of a sudden. " Mad Prince... Really. I wonder why he decided to come back." She looked disgusted. Yugi opened his mouth to ask, but this time, Mana interrupted.
" This is Prince's story. He will tell you himself, if he wants." She said, giving Yugi apologetic smile." What do we want to buy?" Yugi welcomed the change of topic and with relief observed how Mai's features eased back into a smirk.
"Well, I need new clothes. " At this, Joey pointed to his tarnished shirt that bared the signs of its owner hitting mud and wet grass.
"Pshh. You are overdramatic." Tsked Mai, winking at Yugi.
Well, that was interesting.
He assumed that since the prince was presumed dead and then came back, he was here to get back his throne, that much was obvious. But why with so little people? And why did the prince need Yugi's house? Apparently to get those answers, he would have to ask the prince himself. If it depended on Yugi, he will never ask him anything again in his life.
/
When Anzu came down, the rest of the knight was up and about judging from the noise they made. When she entered the kitchen she was greeted with the sight of the almost white-haired boy looking around.
"Good morning." He said, looking embarrassed, as if Anzu had any power over him and he had to explain himself to her. That was something new.
"Good morning." She answered. The boy smiled at her.
"Is there anything to eat? I would hate to be a bother, but my stomach woke me up this morning and I..." He didn't finish because the door to the kitchen opened and in came Yugi, accompanied by Mana, Joey and the blond woman whose name Anzu didn't know.
"Good morning!" Shouted Yugi, emanating happiness all over the place. Anzu answered with a smile on her own, giving in the aura her brother ignited. She, and the boy answered at the same time, sharing a smile of their own. Well. There was no getting rid of them any time soon, they could at least try getting used to them.
"Well, Ryou, I see your hunger still knows no bounds."Said the blonde woman addressing the boy whose name apparently was Ryou.
"Well, I was dragged through the ship voyage for last two weeks so I am entitled to some nourishment, don't you think?" Retorted the boy, defensive.
Mana after waving at Anzu, approached Ryou. " Here, we brought food. If you can wait a little longer..." She said, and Ryou nodded.
"We can help." He proposed, to Anzu and Yugi's surprise.
"You must be really desperate." Said Joey, and smirked." Then, I shall help too. Apparently, I am not getting home any time soon." At that, Anzu looked at Yugi, asking him a silent question.
"Our guests want to remain unnoticed for a while and they don't trust us not to go around spreading the news." He explained. Shame on Ryou and Mana's face was evident. The blonde woman seemed unfazed.
"But... What about Serenity?" Asked Anzu, taking the food from Yugi and putting it on the counter.
"That's the fun part..." Started Joey, but the woman beat him to it.
"We wanted to ask you, if we could move her here." She said. " It would be easier to keep Joey here, and protect her if she stayed with us." Protect? Anzu frowned at that. What did they want to protect Serenity from? Themselves?
Yet, she nodded anyway.
Maybe Serenity was to become an additional hostage, maybe they truly wanted to protect her from some unnamed threat. Nevertheless, Anzu would feel better having the girl here instead of all by herself in the hut in the woods, waiting anxiously for Joey to return.
Yugi beamed at her.
"More the merrier!" He said and went to get the plates.
Ah, Yugi. Since he was younger, some of the possible cruelties of the world still escaped him. Or maybe he was simply too optimistic.
"That's settled then. I will go get her." Said the blonde woman, retreating from the kitchen.
"Yeah, you do that, Mai. We all know you are just trying to escape kitchen duty." Called Joey after her.
"You got that right!" Came the answer, and Joey grinned.
Anzu was always aware that Joey was very open-minded and forgiving, not to mention not exactly the brightest of men, but his attitude made her wonder. Joey must have noticed her expression, because he turned to her.
"I spoke with Mai yesterday, after I woke up. She told me about Arkana. And what happened to him." He said, his face suddenly changing into frown. " The conversation of why you never told me is still to be had, but for now I want to stay here with all of you. " That sentence was met with quizzical stares not only from Anzu and Yugi, but also from Mana and Ryou.
"Why would you do that? Not that we are complaining." Inquired Ryou, sitting at the table.
"Because you are here to change something." Now even Anzu stopped what she was doing. " I know, what your prince did to Arkana was awful, but hell, if even half of the things Mai told me was true, the man deserved it. And you cannot say that everything was all right in this kingdom lately. The taxes, the guards, the Ghouls... " He said, looking at Anzu and then at Yugi. " I cannot phantom what you guys feel, because for you it is personal. But for me, as long as they don't hurt you, they seem to be what we need. A change." He said and left the kitchen, saying that he wanted to help Mai.
Now, that was something Anzu did not consider before. She ignored Mana's answer and got back to the work in front of her. Joey, for all of his carelessness was right. She didn't notice the bigger picture. Sure, Mana hinted that they were here for a reason, but now, when the fears of yesterday lessened, Anzu could look at the situation with clearer mind.
It was obvious they were here to bring changes. She just focused on the change they already brought into her and Yugi's lives, but as the Prince said, for his troops it was just a minor part of their plan. They were here for the house. Not for them.
And, even though Anzu perceived them as such at first, they were not invaders, not exactly. They came from here, they were returning. And she couldn't argue with Joey's argument. True, the state of the kingdom lately was nothing like she remembered from childhood.
But was it possible for such a small unit to change it?
True, they had a fearsome leader, but would it be enough?
And what part she and Yugi had to play here, if they refused to be the necessary victims on the path to glory?
"Excuse me, Mana, Ryou, can you please bring those plates and mugs to the dining room? Since you offered to help?" She asked, watching the two nod and take the mentioned items. For a moment, she was alone with Yugi.
"What happened this morning?" She asked in a whisper.
"Nothing much. They went with me and Joey to the market, helped us do the shopping, chatted for a moment with people there. They said they were our cousins. It actually passed, since Mai has similar hair to our mother. With Mana, there were few stares, but no one asked anything." Answered Yugi. Anzu nodded.
So, nothing out of ordinary.
"As I said, they don't trust us very much." Yugi's voice sounded somehow disappointed. That was typical of Yugi. When he was small he wanted everyone in his vicinity to be his friend. During Arkana's reign his need seemed to lessen somewhat, but now Anzu could see the child Yugi was in her brother's face. It was a good development.
Ryou and Mana came back.
"Anything else?" Filled with a sudden gratitude towards these people, Anzu smiled at them and asked them to help with tea.
/
When the breakfast was ready, Yugi volunteered to go and wake, or at least invite to the dining room, the rest of the guest.
The first room he encountered was empty so it probably belonged to Mai or Mana.
The second one was occupied by the brown-haired man, who thanked Yugi for the information and went downstairs without much ado.
The next man, the one with brown skin and bald head said nothing, but bowed to Yugi after he told the man to go to the dining room.
Before Yugi could knock on the fourth door, they opened on their own accord.
"You must be here to tell me about the breakfast." Said the woman who opened them, a polite smile on her face. She had black hair and now, as those eyes were bored into his, he noticed they were blue.
"Err... Yes?" He answered, thrown off by the woman's gaze on him. She was looking at him as if he was some problem to be analyzed, or some riddle she wanted to solve.
"I am grateful to you." She said and just like the man before her, she bowed her head and went down.
Slightly nervous, Yugi went on with his task.
The next room was empty as well, so he moved on. To his surprise, the sixth room was empty too. Was there a knight on the loose here? The dread Yugi was sure had disappeared, came back.
But it was short-lived, for the next room gave him an answer regarding the whereabouts of the knight. The tanned man with a tattoo on his face was apparently sharing the room with the blond and tanned one, the one whose looks got Yugi's attention yesterday. While the tall man with the tattoo was up, the blonde seemed to be still asleep.
"I wanted to tell you that the breakfast is ready." He said to the tall man, trying not to stare at the man's tattoo.
"I thank you, our gracious host." The man answered. What's wrong with these people? Not that Yugi has never met people with good manners, but he was rarely the target of those manners. They would be more appropriate at the court than in this small mansion on the north. Maybe they were from the court... Maybe...
"Master Marik, please, wake up." Called the man, and the blonde called Marik, stirred.
"Rishid, I told you, don't call me Master. And let me sleep. I mentioned that too." Yugi looked at the man called Rishid, eyebrows rising in question.
"We shall join the rest soon." Said Rishid, and bowed his head once again. Yugi bowed as well, figuring it was something he was supposed to do.
He knocked at the eighth door. No one was there. But before he could panic, he remembered that Ryou was in the kitchen as well.
So that left the last room.
And the prince.
For a moment Yugi just stood in front of the door, not sure what to do. When he took leave of the prince, or rather, where the prince took leave of him, he implied that he was going to sleep. Maybe he didn't want to be woken? Would he be angry if Yugi interrupted his sleep? Or maybe he will be furious for not being called to breakfast?
The prince was unpredictable at best.
Finally, making up his mind, Yugi knocked.
There was no answer.
After another second of doubt, Yugi opened the door.
The room was very dark. Not entirely, for the curtains were not heavy enough, but it looked as if the prince refused to even acknowledge the sun's existence. The man in question was lying in bed, asleep. Now that the red eyes were not looking at him, Yugi found himself missing them. It was unnatural. When the man was awake he resembled a monster, with the glint in his eye, with the evil smile on his face, and that voice lacing every one word with threat and menace.
Now, he looked like an ordinary man.
When Yugi approached the bed he could see the circles beneath the princes' eyes and the exhaustion that could not be seen when he man's commanding presence took attention from his body. He looked tired. His breathing was not easy, as if he had some trouble catching breath. Or maybe he had nightmares instead of dreams.
Moved by some sort of sympathy for the man, Yugi decided to let him sleep.
He closed the door as quietly as he could and went downstairs to join the rest in the dining room.
/
The breakfast was... Strange, to say the least.
First of all, the room was full of people and life. The disappearance of Arkana stopped being a shock and was slowly changing into reality. There was no one to shout and demand the chores to be done in an hour and Yugi and Anzu were once again seated in the dining room, like the hosts, not servants.
And finally, the fear they felt of the people here, lessened.
Mahad, the man with the brown hair, the one closest to the prince, proved to be a wonderful company. While the prince was absent Mahad took it upon himself to make sure that the knights and the hosts stopped treating each other as possible enemies.
"Well, since you haven't murdered us, and as you can see, we haven't murdered you, I think we can safely assume that both parties will refrain from murdering each other in the future." He said before they started to eat. That earned him a few startled chuckles. "We are enforcing our company on the hosts and I can see that Mana and Mai, as well as Ryou, started to help out. I hope it is to your benefit and contentment?" He asked, directing his question at Anzu.
"It is." She said, only her expression betraying the uncertainty. Yugi understood his sister well. It was not that she didn't like help, it was simply that she didn't know what was the purpose of it.
"Then, whenever we are available, we shall be at your service. You probably figured what is our aim." Here, Mahad looked at both of them." And we can assure you that we have no intention of forcing you to do anything. The prince had passed his judgment on you. You are under our protection now. " Anzu and Yugi exchanged shocked stares. " That being said, we ask you to bear with our company whenever you leave the house. It is for both yours, and ours safety." Here, for some strange reason, he looked at Mana, who in turn responded with apologetic look.
"Fair enough. I did volunteer our help." Said Anzu, and Yugi could not refrain himself from looking at her in admiration. She talked like a lady now, not like a girl whose house was taken by force. " And I intend to hold our end of the bargain. Though, I do require some information. I am aware that I am asking much, but we cannot help if you don't share."
"You are asking us to trust us with our goals, yet you fear us." Observed the black- haired woman.
"Which is perfectly natural, Ishizu." Defended Mahad. " Considering the circumstances in which we have met." At that, the woman nodded her head.
Before anyone could continue, the door opened and Joey and Mai entered, guiding Serenity with them. Anzu immediately stood up, helping Serenity to the seat next to her. She had seen the girl that few times Joey brought her with him to his walks with Yugi and looking at her now, she immediately wanted to protect her.
"Sorry for being late. But our Serenity had some trouble believing in everything we said." Explained Mai, at which Joey snorted. He sat down next to Yugi and whispered. " She was convinced that we were being kidnapped. She started crying and Mai didn't know what to do. Of course, she started to cheer her up, to swear that everything is going to be fine and so on... Little did she know that Serenity is simply good at faking tears." At that, Joey winked. " But that proved that at least some of them have hearts." He mused.
Yugi just nodded.
Now, that the 'business' part was over, the conversation at the table moved onto lighter topics. Mahad was now entertaining Anzu with some anecdote about Mana's training since he turned out to be her mentor, while Mai was still talking with Serenity, as if worried about the girl.
In fact, everyone seemed to have a heart, to be just people. Marik was whining at Rishid, but Yugi could not hear what about. Ishizu was now adding to Mahad's story with details of Marik's training, making Yugi believe that she was somehow related to Marik.
He could get used to that.
The ghost of Arkana was finally leaving this place.
/
After the breakfast was over Anzu gathered Mai and Ryou to help her clean, while the rest of the knights went on to listen to Mahad's instructions. Just like Yugi suspected, Mahad was the second in command. Being left with nothing to do Yugi, urged by some kind of compassion, collected few things from the table onto the plate.
The prince might be sleeping now, but he was going to wake up sooner or later and he would probably be hungry.
Yugi looked at the table. He will probably need something to drink as well. So he took a pot of tea.
Not bothered by anyone, he climbed the stairs.
Suddenly, he had so much time.
And so many people to spend it with.
He was still unsure whether he could completely move on from what had happened yesterday, but hearts heal, he heard. And after all, Anzu was right. Arkana was not himself anymore, and they were better off without him. That, and even though without his head, he had looked peaceful. Maybe the raging madness was too much too bear even for him. Maybe what happened was also the best for Arkana.
He reached the prince's door.
Planning to leave the food by the bed, Yugi didn't bother with knocking, afraid of waking the occupant of the room.
He opened the door and was greeted with the sight of the prince looking at him curiously from the chair next to the bed.
"I am sorry, I thought..." Yugi started, but was interrupted by the prince's gesture.
"You were here before and assumed I was asleep." He stated, red eyes once again open and focused on Yugi. Thankfully, now they just seemed calculating. "I cannot fault you for that. You acted out of kindness. But why do you return now?"
"I brought you food, Your Highness." It was all Yugi could say. He might start to feel at ease around the knights, but that did not applied to the prince. Especially now, when the man was looking at him with raised eyebrows, as if he said something surprising.
Yugi gathered his courage and brought the food closer to the prince, who motioned him to leave the plate on the desk . He took the tea, however.
"Well, so... I will be going..." He started, trying to get away from the man.
"Thank you, gracious host." Once again, this term! Now, Yugi was sure that Ishizu and the rest were from the palace.
"There is no need to address me as such, Your Highness. My name is Yugi." He replied. Once again, the prince raised his eyebrows.
"Then I shall address you as Yugi, if that is your wish." The cold manners of the prince unnerved Yugi. Everything about the man was cold, even his fury. Maybe that's what made him so fearsome.
The sunshine behind the curtains intensified as the wind moved them, letting the sun enter the room. The prince closed his eyes when light fell on him, and moved his chair back, as if escaping from the light. Maybe that was why he was not asleep. Then, a new thought entered Yugi's mind.
"Your Highness... If you wish we can prepare a room on the second floor for you. It has windows to the West, maybe it would be more bearable there...?" He did not know what possessed him to say that, but once it was out of his mouth he could do nothing but hold his ground.
The prince seemed to be deep in thought.
"That would be deeply appreciated." He answered finally, bowing his head slightly. The red eyes bored into Yugi, and he was reminded of the way Ishizu looked at him, as if he was something out of ordinary, something to be analyzed.
"Then I shall let you know when the room is ready, Your Higness." With that, Yugi bowed and escaped the room to inform Anzu on this development.
/
The rest of the day was so normal that it was abnormal.
After cleaning after the breakfast Anzu had nothing to do. Mahad insisted on her getting rested, and dispatched Ryou and Mana to bring water.
After a brief talk with Yugi she prepared the room most to the west for the prince, wondering about the reasons for the change. Yugi didn't tell her what made him ask that of her, and Anzu decided to respect that. Maybe the prince told him something Yugi was not supposed to share. If he had not told her on his own, it must be it.
On the other hand, it was even better. Now the prince's room could be given to Serenity. Yugi told her about the Marik and Rishid sharing the room, so even Joey could be given a bed. She felt like an inn owner instead of a servant and it was a good change.
After she was finished with the prince's room she went to inform him and help him with his things.
When the man opened the door, she suddenly remembered why he was scary in the first place. He looked haunted, sitting in the least lighted spot in the room. She immediately noticed the plate on the desk, untouched, and the pot from the breakfast, in turn looking empty.
Yugi.
Only Yugi would think about bringing the man breakfast.
"The room is ready, Your Highness." The man bowed his head a little and stood up. She just now noticed that he was shorter than her. He gathered his armor and a bag she hadn't noticed before, and followed her to the second floor.
The first thing he did when he entered the room was closing the curtains.
He dumped his things next to the bed and turned to her.
"Most grateful, hostess." Even though the words were polite, the dismissal in them was hard to miss. She nodded and left the room.
Right now, the man didn't look mad. He looked like a prince though, regal and well-mannered.
The rest of the day was surprisingly uneventful.
Mahad and the rest trained in the garden, doing some strange game of tag mixed with wrestling, and Anzu got bored of watching it after an hour.
She decided to check on Serenity and get her story.
The girl, even though blind, proved to be very perceptive.
"They do not seem as bad people. At least, Lady Mai doesn't seem bad. Joey left for a moment when she was comforting me, so he didn't hear all these nice things she said about him. She likes courage, you know? She told me she was a mercenary before she joined the Prince's troops. And she told me that Joey was very courageous. And I decided, I want to be brave too." Serenity was younger than Anzu, younger than Yugi even, yet now, her face looked very mature. " Joey told me that with their arrival some things will change. And I think I want to help. I know I cannot do much, but." Here, Anzu hugged the girl. She probably didn't like her life as it was until now, and Anzu could relate. She too wanted a change, and the prince brought that with him.
"Don't say that. You should be well aware that some help does not involve swords and may be more valuable than strength alone." She said. That's what her mother always said whenever Anzu complained about not being able to help father on his trips. " There are other things that you can do, things that they cannot. That's the balance of the universe. Some things you cannot do, but in turn, you can do things no one else can."
They sat together in silence, just embracing. For some reason Anzu felt she was not only talking to Serenity. Maybe she was also convincing herself.
"Thank you, Anzu." Said Serenity after a while.
They sat in the garden for a few hours, moving onto lighter topics. During Arkana's reign Anzu did not have the opportunity to get to know the girl better. She was too young for them to really meet when they were kids, and later it was too late. Now, they had time.
The dinner went similarly to the breakfast, with this slight change that now Anzu was aided in the kitchen not only by Yugi and Ryou, but also by Mana and Marik. She soon figured out that this three was the youngest amongst the knights, and honestly, it was for the better. They got along pretty well, if not counting the fact that Marik could not be trusted with food. He and Ryou were sneaking bites here and there and it was novel to Anzu. The last time someone did that in this kitchen, it was her and Yugi, and it was long, long time ago.
As in the case of breakfast, the prince did not join them. It was possibly for the better, because the atmosphere was even merrier. True, Ishizu, Rishid and the bald man, who according to Mana's testimony was called Shada, stayed mostly quiet, but even if they haven't, their voices would be possibly drowned by Mai's tale.
She truly had been a mercenary, for the stories she told took parts in different parts of the world. True, sometimes Mahad would look at her incredulously as if had some doubts about authenticity of the tales, but he did not interrupt.
Yugi was fascinated as Anzu observed.
Soon enough, she also let herself drift into this strange, yet pleasant air.
So of course, it couldn't last.
The sun was almost down when it happened.
Everyone was in the garden, watching Joey wrestle Marik. It was supposed to be an exercise and entertainment in one, and true enough, commentaries made everything entertaining, especially since Joey was great deal taller than Marik, and yet could not best him.
"Someone is coming." Said Serenity suddenly. "I can hear someone there." Here, she pointed at the forest. True enough, while spotted, someone started running. Mahad and Marik ran after the shape that disappeared in the forest, while the rest of the knights positioned themselves in front of Anzu, Serenity and Yugi, keeping their eyes on the house and forest, waiting for the intruder to appear.
"Let's hope it is only an animal." Said Mana, but her tone betrayed her lack of belief in possibility of this turn of events.
For a moment everything was quiet.
Anzu could hear the bugs flying around. The sun was almost gone.
"They are coming back." Anzu looked at Serenity. She heard that lack of sight enhanced other senses but she never believed it. Now, she had the final proof. She herself hadn't heard anything until Mahad and Marik returned with a man between them.
He was conscious and was looking around the garden, as if looking for someone.
"They were right." He said, his tone full of satisfaction. He sounded like a drunkard, yet he was pretty sober, Anzu was sure of it. A spy? Why? How?
"Who was?" Demanded Mahad.
"The children on the market. They said they saw a strange brown lady. We heard that he was coming back. Lord Crawford knows everything. But to let her" Here, he motioned to Mana" be spotted in public? That's lousy. Is he really mad now?" Mahad was glaring at his pupil now and Anzu immediately felt bad for her. On the other hand, now she knew why the knights were so bent on secrecy. Someone was waiting for them to come.
She's never heard of Lord Crawford before, but then again, how could she?
She turned to Yugi.
"Well, that would explain some things." He said to her, nervous. She nodded.
"And where is your prince, if I may ask? Is he so broken that he cannot move? Or is he really dead and you are just a band of rebels trying to wreck havoc in his name?" The man taunted, not bothering with two people holding him down. Maybe he wasn't afraid of anything. Maybe he was just putting up a front.
"I am right here, Panic." Said a new voice coming from the kitchen. Anzu and Yugi turned. True enough, the prince was standing there, calm and menacing at the same time. " I haven't seen you in a while."
At that, the man, Panic, paled somewhat.
Apparently he truly believed that the prince was not here and the knights were acting of their own accord.
"You will not succeed." Said the man and threw off Mahad and Marik in one powerful shove.
"That remains to be seen. But I do not lose." Answered the prince as he approached Panic who in turn stayed in place, as if rooted to the ground.
"Would you like to test my luck? Shall we play a game?"
Momentarily, Anzu and Yugi looked at each other. Not again, oh gods, not again.
The spy laughed.
"Screw your games. This ends here!" Panic shouted and ran to the prince. Ryou and Ishizu, being the closest, tried to stop him, but they were too late.
The knife that Panic took gods know from where slashed the prince's arm. The prince spun around, kicking Panic's legs. The aggressor stumbled and fell, while the prince stepped one foot on his chest. Mahad and Marik immediately caught the man's arms, making any attempt at getting away futile.
When Anzu looked at prince's face she saw the same cold fury she saw yesterday.
"You should have accepted the game. Now you lost by default." The cold satisfaction in prince's voice made Anzu shiver. Yugi looked pale as a ghost. Even Joey seemed to be afraid. "I must be just as a ruler, don't I?" Panic looked as if every ounce of arrogance and confidence he had before, left him. His face now fit his name.
The prince put more pressure on Panic's chest and the silence of the night was disturbed by the sound of bones breaking.
" Yugi, our gracious hostess. I advise you to head back home. You shall be not forced to watch." Said the prince, addressing them out of the sudden. Anzu, not ready to witness another murder took Serenity's hand and pushed Yugi to follow her. They were not ready for this.
Oh, gods, why.
Before the doors to the kitchen closed after them, she could hear another bone breaking.
"I think that you know what the punishment for cowardice and treason is." Came the prince's still seemingly calm voice, and Anzu rushed upstairs.
Justice.
She looked at Yugi and Serenity.
They passed the judgment, Mahad said.
Now she vowed to never, ever do anything to bring justice on their heads. For now, she understood. The prince was just. He truly did what he had to do, looking at it from the perspective of the greater goal.
But for them, little individuals, a murders stayed a murder.