Mana looked lost. From her face Yugi easily guessed that she had left her sword in room with Mahad and was now cursing her forgetfulness.
They were defenseless.
The man on the horse, however, didn't seem hostile. He hadn't drawn his sword for a start.
He stopped in front of them as if everything was normal and jumped off his horse.
"Greetings to you." He said with a somehow foreign accent.
"Who are you? Why do you look like..." Mana trailed off, not easing her fighting stance. Now that Yugi got a closer look at the stranger he noticed what Mana was getting at.
The man in front of them had his black hair pulled into ponytail, so at first his appearance didn't interest Yugi.
But now he could look at the man's face closely.
He looked just like the prince.
True, his one opened eye, for the other one was closed by a big vertical scar marring it, was blue instead of red, but the similarity was hard dismiss.
Although the man looked slightly more cheerful than the prince.
He smiled for starters, even if his smile was polite rather than joyful.
"I will answer all of your questions if I have time. I am an ally and I need to speak with your leader as soon as possible. "
"How can we trust you?" That was Mai, lured to the garden by the commotion they caused. She at least had her sword in front of her. Joey was nowhere to be seen and Yugi hoped that his friend was making sure Anzu and Serenity were safe.
"Ask Mahad who I am." The man answered, as if that explained everything. It didn't. Yugi was utterly confused. Just because the man knew Mahad's name was no reason to trust him.
The man made haste towards the entrance to the mansion and was stopped by Mai's sword.
"I am happy that now you seem to be more cautious, but I am on your side. I am..." But here, the man was interrupted.
"Mai!" That was the prince's voice.
Truly, the man had exceptional hearing. " Let him in." And just like that, Mai backed off, letting the stranger into the mansion.
"It must be bad if you are here in person." The prince started gesturing the man to follow him upstairs. " I will explain everything later." He said, addressing the rest of them still looking lost about what to do. "Yugi, come with me."
Yugi shared a doubtful look with Mana, but followed without a word.
He'd learned his lesson concerning prince's orders.
The three of them, the prince, the man, and Yugi reached the prince's room and came inside.
When Yugi closed the door, both men were already seated face to face as if drinking in each other's sight. They must have seen each other for the last time long ago, judging from their looks.
"Yugi, come here." Said the prince, patting the place on the bed next to him. Yugi obeyed. "Mahad is down, I needed a new advisor until he recovers." The prince explained, and the man nodded, clearly not interested.
"Duke is on the move. That boy that followed you actually told somebody just who he was following. The duke knows you are somewhere in the North. He started looking for you the moment your man disappeared."
"It is a short notice. Joey and the spy reached us yesterday, and here you are, morning after." At that, the man sneered.
"Your man didn't bother hiding the fact that he was from the North. When Haga, known Crawford's spy went to pursuit him, duke's people immediately put two and two together. " So, the boy's name was Haga. And he had someone to tell his mission to. Yugi noticed that the pain he felt yesterday while thinking about the boy now was somehow dulled. About time.
"So what you are saying is that we should move?" The man nodded.
The prince looked thoughtful, staring outside the window "It would be a hard thing to accomplish, especially considering Mahad's condition."
"We don't have much time. It took me seven hours to get to you, if duke is marching with at least one party it should take longer, but still, he will be here today." Yugi looked at the prince. Would they have to move from here? Abandon his parent's house?
What about Anzu, what about Serenity? Will they manage to hide in the woods? They had nowhere else to go, and judging from the prince's expression, he seemed to be aware of that.
"We must distract him then. Throw him off our tracks. We need to protect this house. We have not only Mahad, but also a blind girl to look after. Besides, I promised my hosts that to harm will come to them and that includes their house." A wave of awe and gratefulness filled Yugi's heart.
The prince wanted to protect them! To protect the house. To protect Yugi.
"So what's your plan?" The man sounded skeptical, as if he wasn't moved by the prince's words.
"Duke wants me. Not my people, me. I will give him what he wants." The prince smirked, and the very same smirk graced the stranger's features. Now they looked as if they were twins.
"You want to ride and meet him? "
"Why not?"
"What about light?" Yugi said, forgetting for a moment his place.
The two men looked at him for a moment, as if only now noticing his presence.
"You would be at disadvantage, right? Not to mention the lack of sleep. Adding to that few hours of riding, can you really challenge him?" He pressed on, concern lacing his words. He was sure that the prince was an exceptional and possibly very skilled fighter, but he was only human.
"He doesn't know about...?" The stranger started, but the prince silenced him with a glare.
"No. And he shouldn't. " Before Yugi could wonder what they were talking about, the prince turned to him. " I appreciate your concern, Yugi, but I don't plan on fighting him unless it's necessary. I want to invite him to a game." Involuntary shiver run up Yugi's spine, and this time he couldn't with full certainty say it was only because of fear and bad memories.
"You need to convince him that all of you have moved." The stranger pointed out.
"I am well aware. But I need someone to stay and protect everyone here." At that the stranger smiled. His smile was not as beautiful as the prince's, even though they seemed to share appearance.
"You haven't changed at all, my dear cousin. " He said and Yugi could see that he was proud. He said cousin...?
That would explain the similarities. But it was the first time Yugi even heard of prince's family.
"Should I have?" This question was heavy with something Yugi couldn't put his hands on.
"No." He answered quietly, yet the prince seemed to hear him, for he gave Yugi a look so warm that Yugi had to turn his eyes from the prince to avoid getting embarrassed. He was very unsuccessful.
Thankfully, prince's attention moved back to his cousin.
"I knew I had your support, Timaeus. I think I underestimated its extent." The prince said and the man, Timaeus, stood up.
"You will thank me later. Gather your team and we must go. My people are waiting for us in the town." With that, he stood up and left the room.
"Go get ready, Yugi. I want you to come with me." Yugi nodded simply and followed Timaeus out. He will have to tell Anzu... The gravity of what was going on hit Yugi suddenly. He was leaving his sister alone for the first time in his life. What's worse, he was going with the prince, that one person he trusted to protect them, while she was left there, alone.
Maybe he should ask...
No, Anzu wouldn't want to go. No, rather, she would want to go, but she would feel obliged to stay with Mahad. She would want to prove that she is brave and can do it, but she will be afraid, afraid for herself and afraid for Yugi.
Maybe he shouldn't tell her?
He came to his room, gathering few things he possessed that could be any use to him.
After a moment of thought, he also took both decks, keeping in mind that the prince mentioned playing a game. And he really hoped it won't be the same kind of game that Arkana had lost.
He will have to remember to take some bandages...
What was he even doing?
What use could he be on such a journey? He was not ready to fight, and he probably never will be, and frankly, he didn't think the prince needed an advisor now. So why did he tell Yugi to go?
If you truly want to understand, join me. I will show you the world through my perspective.
Was it the reason?
Before he could go away though, Yugi had something to do. He put everything he wanted to take into the first bag he could find and left his room.
He will have to talk to Anzu.
But before that, he had to talk to Mahad.
He approached the man's room silently, in case the wounded man was sleeping. For the same reason, Yugi didn't bother with knocking. He opened the door as quietly as he could, squinting his eyes to see in what condition room's occupant was.
"Hello." So Mahad wasn't asleep.
"I came here to..."
"Apologize?" Mahad didn't sound angry, only tired and Yugi couldn't blame him for it. The man almost died few hours ago. " There is no need to. I am sure that everyone else already talked to you about it and you've learned your lesson." Yugi nodded. " I do not have the energy to blame anybody right now. Is there anything else you want from me?"Yugi took that as an invitation and came closer, sitting on Mahad's bed.
"How are you feeling?" He got a small smile in response.
"I have been worse, though I don't remember when exactly. I will be all right in few days. I am not sure whether I will ever eat anything again, but aside from that I will live." Mahad joked and Yugi allowed himself a smile as well.
"That is good to hear. I hope Anzu will bake you her special pie. It could bring back the dead, it is to great!" He answered, trying not to look at the paleness evident on Mahad's face.
"I am certain. What's going on downstairs? I cannot move yet, but everyone left me and I am sure not because they don't care." Mahad's tone was still light, but Yugi was not fooled. The man knew something was wrong but he wanted to see how much Yugi himself knew and understood from proceedings.
Yugi was ready to verify his suspicions.
"Timaeus, the prince's cousin came. The duke of Devlin is searching for us and the prince wants to lead him on a merry chase and encounter him somewhere else, so that this mansion stays safe."
Mahad sighed.
"So it is that bad. It is going too fast." He said and made an attempt to get up. Yugi held him down and it was a testimony to how weak Mahad at the moment was. Normally, Yugi wouldn't be able to stop him from doing anything.
"Who is Timaeus? He said he knows you." It was a slight change of topic, but maybe it will distract Mahad from rushing down this instant.
"As you know, he is our prince's cousin. His mother, Ashayet is now the queen of Arcadia."
If he is a prince from a different country, what is he doing here? When Yugi voiced this question, Mahad smiled.
"He organized a net of spies for us. We couldn't return to country without anything, just with ten people and good intentions. And Timaeus was always close to our prince. Though you will have to ask him why exactly is he here in person. I thought he was orchestrating things from Arcadia."
Another mystery. Exciting.
"The prince ordered me to go with them." That earned Yugi raised eyebrows as a response. Suddenly self-conscious, he continued." He said that he needs an advisor for a time being, until you are well."
"Oh, I'm sure he does." Replied Mahad with a secretive smile. Yugi wanted to ask, but thought better of it. After all, they didn't have much time.
He stood up to leave when the door burst open. It was Mana. Previous cheer was gone from her face.
"I am going with you." She said and something in her tone made Yugi bow his head to Mahad and leave the room. If he knew Mana as well as he thought, she came here to say her goodbye and Yugi was not going to step on the moment that was for Mana and Mahad alone. Especially if he himself hadn't say goodbye to his sister yet.
He came down to see Serenity in Joey's embrace.
"But you just came back!" She said, her voice muffled by Joey's shirt.
So Joey was going as well. If they were going to trick the duke that they are changing their hideout, the more the better. It would me more believable if Mana and Joey, people associated by the duke with their party were noticed. It would take the duke's attention off searching the hideout if the men he was after just came his way.
On his way to the kitchen Yugi passed Mai, and with a great relief he noticed that she was back to normal. She smiled at him and let him go, her cold demeanor from the night before long gone. That was good.
Then he entered the kitchen.
It was not often that Anzu was crying.
He immediately ran to her and hugged her, ignoring the clatter of cutlery falling.
"So you know." He started, hoping to get some reaction.
"Of course I know. Why must you go? You are not a fighter, you will only get hurt!" One part of Yugi was moved by her concern, but the other one, the one Yugi discovered only lately, was irritated.
True, he was younger than her and he was small and he himself doubted his every step, but that didn't mean he was useless! He might not be a knight, he might not be as wise as Mahad, but the prince chose him, told him he wanted Yugi on this journey. So he must be worth something.
"Anzu, you told me yourself. We are a part of it now. We cannot forever stay in house and wait for them to do everything by themselves." He said, carefully choosing words to avoid hurting Anzu even more. " You proved to be a great help, you saved Mahad's life. The only thing I did was to cause trouble. I want to redeem myself."
"You can't!" That hurt. " You won't redeem yourself if you are dead!"
"The prince believes in me, and so does Mahad. Why can't you?" This was not how Yugi envisioned saying goodbye, but on the other hand if it was other way around, he would probably feel the same. He wouldn't try to stop Anzu, but he would worry and fret and cry just as she did now. Though he would not doubt Anzu's strength, that he was sure of.
Anzu was amazing and strong in her own right. She took on murders of her stepfather and she convinced them to spare them. She restored the house single-handedly. She joined the rebellion and grew harder and stronger, while Yugi was lost in his doubts and uncertainty. It was now his time, his time to grow and change, to learn.
He told her as much, but she didn't seem to listen.
"What if something happens to you?" You wouldn't be able to protect me if I stayed here. He immediately regretted that thought.
"What if something happens to you? I'll not be alone, I'll have Mana, Timaeus, Joey. And the prince is coming with us. You are staying here with Mai and Serenity, protecting Mahad. If anyone is in danger, it is you." He pointed out.
There was no reply, just few quiet sobs.
After a while, the sobs stopped.
"I don't want you to go." Anzu raised her head and looked at Yugi with dry eyes.
"I know. I don't want to leave you. But it is something both of us must do, you said that." At that Anzu smiled.
"Sometimes I say stupid things." Yugi hugged her once again.
"I will definitely come back." He promised and after a while, Anzu nodded.
"I believe you."
Two figures entering the kitchen stopped them from saying anything else.
The prince was wearing his black armor again, golden pyramid glistening in the sunlight. Only now Yugi noticed that Timaeus was wearing a similar armor, though his was blue with a dragon instead of a pyramid hanging from his neck. Now they looked like brothers.
"We must make haste. Take care of yourself, Anzu." Said the prince and Yugi felt a pang of something he couldn't name when he saw the slight blush on his sister's face. That reminded him that apparently Anzu talked with the prince the night before, and that earlier prince addressed her as 'gracious hostess'. What happened between them?
No time to dwell on that.
They didn't have time for breakfast so Anzu packed them what she could find so that they would have something to eat on their way.
"What about the horses?" Yugi asked suddenly. There was five of them and only three horses counting Kuri and dragon who were in the stables.
"Like I said, there is someone waiting for us with the horses in the town. We will only need yours to reach the town. I will take Mana with me." Timaeus offered and Mana, who joined them few moment ago simply nodded.
"If my memory serves me well, it was her dream to ride with you into the sunset some time ago." The prince said, amused. Mana looked at him suspiciously.
"I don't remember anything like that. In fact, I do not remember your Highness at all." She said, addressing Timaeus.
"You wound me. You swore that when you grow up you will become my bride." Answered the man and to his credit, he did sound utterly forlorn.
Realization downed on Mana's face.
"Ach! You are Yos!" She shouted, blushing with embarrassment." I was six then, it doesn't count!" She turned to the prince who was now chuckling. But soon, his face shifted into serious frown.
"I will take Yugi. Joey, take Mai with you. She will return later with Anzu's horses." The prince commanded and just like that they were set to go.
Yugi hugged Anzu once more and was hugged by Serenity, and then he was off.
He and the prince mounted Dragon who seemed to be very pleased to be doing something else than just standing in the stable.
Kuri on the other hand looked at Joey tiredly, as if accusing him of wearing her down. She wasn't wrong. At last, she allowed Joey and Mai on her back, but she refused to go faster than trot.
"We must draw attention riding like that." Yugi observed, clinging to the prince's back.
"It doesn't matter anymore. We must get the duke as fast as we can, so that he doesn't reach this town. And any potential spy of Crawford will follow us, not bothering with the rest. We must play in open cards now." With that, the prince lapsed into silence.
Next to them, Joey was talking with Mai and Yugi couldn't help but listen.
"Take care of her, she adores you. I know you can protect them and that they are safe with you, but please, don't let Serenity feel left out."
"You now I won't. I care for her, in case you haven't noticed. Besides, she is your sister. Of course I will not let her worry." Joey seemed to be too shocked to speak and Yugi once again got a feeling that he intruding on something private.
They have finally reached the town and Yugi was quite shocked with who they met at the crossroads behind the town, waiting on them with horses.
It was Tristan the blacksmith.
"You were with us that whole time?"Yugi asked, jumping down from Dragon.
"I didn't know you were with us all that time." Tristan replied with a smile. " Here, take this one Yugi. It's name is Gazelle." Here, he gave Yugi the reigns of a big, brown, wild looking horse with mane resembling that of a lion.
"It looks... Wild." Yugi observed weakly, wondering if he will get killed here and then, by his own horse.
"But he is loyal." Said Timaeus, patting the beast. " They are all that we were able to rescue from my cousin's bastion after he 'committed suicide'." Here, distaste marred Timaeus' face.
Yugi remembered now that indeed, he heard that Aknadin's sister refused to acknowledge the prince's death. And somebody mentioned his cousin as well...
"Valkyria!" That was Mana, hugging another brown horse. " I thought I lost her forever!" She exclaimed., taking animal's reigns from Tristan.
"They are all yours, Your Highness?" The prince just nodded absent-mindedly, looking at the ginger, almost red horse in front of him. The horse was staring at its owner curiously, as if trying to figure out whether he knows the man before him.
Finally, the prince said its name, as if he had just remembered it.
"Osiris." And the horse bowed its head and came to him.
"Surprised?" Asked Timaeus, petting his own horse.
"I never dreamed of seeing them again." Replied the prince honestly, awe evident in his voice.
The horse must've meant much to him, if he could recall its name and not his own, Yugi thought.
He jumped on Gazelle, hoping that he or she, he forgot to ask, would take to its new rider. Gazelle for now decided to ignore him. Yugi thought that it was better option than plain hostility.
Joey was getting on a gray horse that according to Tristan was one of his own going by the name of Barbarian.
"Take that one to Mahad, it will cheer him up." The prince commanded, and Mai tied the reigns of yet another black horse to Kuri's.
"It was his, am I right?" She asked and Mana turned to her with a big smile on her face.
"Yes. This is Chaos, the wisest of horses." She said proudly, patting the horse's neck affectionately.
"I will bring him to Mahad. Take care, all of you." Mai said and with a last look at the prince, she took off.
"She was never one for big words and teary goodbyes." Mana sighed and got on her own horse. "Are you coming with us?" She addressed Tristan, who in turn looked embarrassed.
"No, I will stay here, keep an eye on... things."
Namely Joey's sister, Yugi thought and chuckled silently.
"Good. Now, off we go." The prince commanded and without any much ado, they headed for Devlin, hoping to catch the duke before it's too late.
With wind blowing into his face, with horses galloping beside him, Yugi felt happy once again.
Gone were his worries and troubles, gone was his goal. For now he was finally going on an adventure, he is finally taking part instead of just watching.
The sun was shining and his friends were beside him.
And no matter what happens next, nothing will change that for now, he was feeling powerful.