Twelve |

Oasis Before Departure

The Pharaoh and the crown princess of Egypt sit on the bed, both of them gazing at the newly painted mural of deities in her room.

"These are the deities of Egypt, Anippe. Lots of people believe in them, even though they've never seen them. And on this wall, many artists imagined what some of them might look like."

The four-year-old princess studied each deity. She looked at Horus first. He was the falcon-headed god that her father represented to the people of Egypt. She then looked across the room to another god.

"He's the one you're always praying to, isn't he?

Atem smiles a little. "Yes, I've been praying for him ever since... for a long time now."

"He looks funny," Anippe adds as she judges Osiris. The princess then looks at another deity.

"There's Anubis!"

Atem chuckled, "Anubis looks a little scary to me, but you like Anubis."

"Anubis is really big and strong, but it's still nice. Just like you are Papa."

"I'm like Anubis am I?" Atem chuckles again, "Imagine that."

The Pharaoh then turns towards his daughter. With his deep voice, he improvises, "Well, then I am Anubis! Roar!"

Anippe's face breaks into a huge smile as she watches her father.

"You're Anubis!" she cheers as Atem lets out another, "Roar!"

Suddenly, Anippe throws herself at him as he turns his back on her. "Uff," they both fall from the bed laughing.

Laughing, Atem makes sure Anippe is holding onto his back before saying, "Here we go!" Atem then runs around her room, carrying Anippe on his back, as he yells, "Roar!", "Roar!", "Roar!"

Anippe is laughing, and soon Atem is laughing with her.

A knock on the door suddenly interrupts their playtime. Anippe frowns as her father sets her down to the floor.

"Another urgent call. It must be Shimon again. It's always him."

Atem goes to answer the door. As a cue, Shimon bows immediately.

"My Pharaoh," he begins before lifting his head, "This is about our departure to the Kingdom of Atlantis. It's getting darker by the minute. If we leave now, we'll arrive just in time for the King's requested dinner."

Atem nods and lets Shimon leave. With a sad smile, he turns and faces his princess.

"I've got to go now, Anippe," Atem says, which makes Anippe frown even more.

"Papa, I'm going to miss you," she says.

Atem smiles sadly. "And I'll miss you."

He then reaches down and lifts her.

"I'll be back as soon as I can," Atem promises just before she leans in his chest. He holds her closer to him.

"Keep me close, in your dreams," Atem whispers soothingly, noticing how anxious Anippe seems in his embrace.

He then walks over to her bed and gently tugs her in.

Anippe gives him a small smile. Atem can't help but smile tenderly at her bright, innocent aquamarine eyes, soft smile, and cute little dimples.

"I love you." Atem gently says. Anippe tries not to cry and begs him not to leave.

"Pleasant dreams Anippe." is the last thing her father says. Anippe has a sad expression as she watches her father leave. For the first time in her life, she was getting separated from her beloved father.

She knew Mahad, Isis, and Seto were staying with her. But, even though she loved them, she would miss her father deeply. Why did he have to go?

Why couldn't she go with him?

The princess just sighs sadly, listening quietly to the countless soldiers in their horses march off towards Atlantis.

"I love you too, Papa," Anippe whispers sadly into her big dark room.

Her father was now gone.

Note(s):

This whole chapter was inspired by the third Pokémon movie, "Pokémon 3: The Movie - Spell of the Unknown: Entei". Dan Greens provides the English voice for Professor Spencer Hale and the legendary pokémon Entei. Professor Spencer Hale has a small daughter named Molly and the relationship between those two is enough to melt your heart. That's the same daughter and father relationship Atem has with Anippe. Go watch the movie and see what I'm talking about.

(Fair warning, that movie is extremely cheesy. I mean, it was an early 2000's film hehe.)

"The Ancient Egyptians believed that their Pharaoh was the god Horus, son of Re, the sun god. When a pharaoh died he was believed to be united with the sun and then a new Horus ruled on earth." - from primaryhomeworkhelp .com

"Osiris, one of Egypt's most important deities, was the god of the underworld. He also symbolized death, resurrection, and the cycle of Nile floods that Egypt relied on for agricultural fertility. According to the myth, Osiris was a king of Egypt who was murdered and dismembered by his brother Seth." - from britannica .com

"Anubis, easily recognizable as an anthropomorphized jackal or dog, was the Egyptian god of the afterlife and mummification. He helped judge souls after their death and guided lost souls into the afterlife. ... Therefore, Anubis was not evil but rather one of the most important gods who kept evil out of Egypt." - from study .com

There are two reasons why Anippe makes the comment pointing out that her father is always praying to Osiris. Number one is because Osiris is Dan Green's favorite Ancient Egyptian god. In case you didn't know, Dan Green is both Atem and Yugi's voice actor in the English dub. The second reason is a surprise so you'll have to be patient. But, I mean, it's pretty obvious as to why Atem is always praying to the god of the underworld.

Author's Note(s):

I hope you all have been well. I got big news. I'm starting University pretty soon so I don't know if updates will become slower or not.

Let's see how it goes.

The events of this chapter are what occurred before the scene where Isis is with Anippe before joining Mahad and Seto and then leaving the palace late at night (which you can read in the chapter called "It's Cold Outside").