"How is she?"
Penthu's voice was near, ripping into the quietness of early dawn and the hazy, tired mist in Naima's mind. She had spent the night with Zahra in the hospital, falling asleep in a chair by her bed and waking sporadically, only to eventually wind up slouched over Zahra's legs. Naima's back ached from the twisted position she slept in, but Zahra appeared comfortable, slumbering peacefully despite Naima's movements around her.
"Still resting, I think." Naima said. Her eyes were dry and fatigued, but she fought it back as she laid eyes on her sister. Except for the steady rise and fall of her chest and an occasional twitch, Zahra had not moved at all. Exactly as she expected. Naima couldn't help but to wonder what she was dreaming about, if Zahra's Ka had visited her in her dreams like Naima's did so many years ago.

Penthu nodded as he studied her from the end of the bed.
"Such a powerful Ka in a young thing like her." he said and glanced up at her with a slight smile. "Just like her sister."

The essence of Zahra, a dragon of fire. How fitting. Naima agreed silently. She swelled with pride at the thought of such a creature living in her sister, and couldn't help but smile at the team they would make together, how powerful they would be.
But something big and glaring stopped her every time — Zahra is impulsive. That was not a secret to anyone.. And stubborn, and a smart ass… She needs training.
Naima groaned internally. The responsibility would certainly fall on her, she already knew it. Shimon wouldn't do it, perhaps Zahra had teachers who could —

"What are your plans for her?" Penthu asked.

"Plans?"

"Yes, for her future. Once she completes her schooling." he said.

Plans.
Of course. Without Nafi, Naima was theoretically Zahra's guardian until she reaches adulthood. Thoughts of an arranged marriage immediately came to mind, and Naima snorted at that. Ra help the man who becomes shackled to Zahra without her full consent.

"We have not discussed it so I'm not sure. But, she will not be married unless she wishes it." Naima said.

"Of course not." Penthu scoffed. "She is far too talented for that fate."
His eyes continued to study Zahra. "Does she possess healing ability like you?"

His face was far too hopeful, and Naima knew where this was going. She shook her head.
"I don't think she's much of a healer." she said quickly before she paused in consideration.
"She has a very strong will. She makes her own path. Wherever she wants to go and whatever she wants to do, she will do it. It's just… —" Naima searched. "Sometimes she has difficulty with her emotions. I believe she has a lot of pent up anger, from a few different things."

"Ah, yes." Penthu mused. "The emotions… it can be normal for her age. How old is she? Around fourteen or fifteen?"
Naima nodded.
"Being that age is difficult, as I'm sure you can remember" he said. Naima certainly did. The change from girl to woman was not an easy one.
"Her will," Penthu continued. "Once she can learn to focus it into something productive, can be her greatest asset. But until then, expect more of the same, I'm afraid."

They both continued to look at Zahra in silent thought.

"I did hear about what happened with Kerpheres." Penthu said. "Very dangerous, what she did, Naima."

"I know." Naima groaned.

"What in the world did she think she was doing?"

Naima sighed.
"Zahra thinks Kerpheres is trying to take over the palace and overthrow the Pharaoh. She was spying on him to try to get more information."

Penthu looked at her incredulously.
"How stupid." he spat. "What a foolish thing to do. You allowed her to do that?!"

Kind of. She encouraged it, actually. Naima fought the shame that rose up inside her. She failed as a sister.
"Even if I told her not to, she would have just done it anyways."
Likely true, but a poor, worthless excuse.

Penthu shook his head. "I am not surprised."
He stroked his chin in contemplation. "She could be great with that Ka, you know. But if she gets in the wrong hands, it would be a disaster. Make sure you keep her on the good side."

Naima's shoulders tightened. Another thing that she needed to worry about, to monitor. More responsibilities. She cannot be everything for everyone, especially not a dragon tamer.
A dragon that most likely had no desire to be tamed, who was as proud and free and feisty as its host. Naima shrank at the thought of taking it on a second time. So far, Zahra's Ka was the only one that her own Ka even felt was a worthy opponent and she had only narrowly defeated it. If Zahra could not somehow learn to manage her emotions, and quick, she could inflict untold amounts of devastation with so much as a single argument, and Naima was not sure if she could defeat her again. Images of flaming, scorched buildings amidst a crimson sky filled her mind, and she shuddered.

Red crept into her vision as she worked throughout the morning, continuing to contemplate Zahra. Mercifully, Penthu had been easy on her and allowed her to go at a much slower pace today, imparting some of the rare empathy and generosity he kept locked away and hidden for occasions such as this. As she worked, she continued to watch Zahra from across the hall and even caught Penthu throwing glances toward Zahra as well.

Just when both of them had begun to establish a comfortable rhythm, several bangs of fists against the large wooden door jolted everyone upright. The heavy clamoring of many footsteps followed, and before Naima could even fix her attention elsewhere, guards filled the entire hall. They marched inside without regard, swords clanking against their bronze belts and armor. Kerpheres appeared behind them.
As soon as they all assembled, there was an uncomfortable silence, as if they were waiting for something, an acknowledgement perhaps.

Finally, Penthu spoke.
"What is the meaning of this?" he spat incredulously.

One of the guards had gestured toward Zahra. "Is the girl awake yet?" he said.

Naima's blood chilled.

"No, she is not." Penthu barked at him. "Now, unless any of you are sick or injured, I need you all to get out of here."

The guard crossed his arms.
"Unfortunately, I cannot. Due to the nature of the girl's crimes and the events yesterday, we must collect her immediately."
He strode over to Zahra's bed, placed a hand on Zahra's shoulder and shook her.

Naima leapt up, a panicked fury taking hold. She bore her teeth as she pushed through the crowd of guards.
"Don't you touch her."

"Back away." the guard heeded.

Perhaps this was the day, the day where she would lose it and unleash her powers onto someone and ruin everything she has built for herself here. She could feel it at the touch of her fingers, her self control walking a fine line. For Zahra, she would.
"Leave her alone." Naima's voice shook, unsure if it was in anger or in fear or both. "She is resting. What do you want with her?"

"The girl is under arrest." he said.

She felt her heart drop into her stomach like an enormous brick.
"For… what.."

"For attempted murder of the governor of Memphis."

Attempted… murder?
It couldn't be. They couldn't do this.

"….What?"
Naima's head shot toward Kerpheres who was standing in the back of the group, quietly observing with a smug expression on his face. She wanted to punch him.
"Are you serious right now?" she shouted at him. "Are you serious?!"

Words became difficult. Her breath shook in her throat as she looked toward the guard now in desperation, panic causing her jaw and mind to freeze.
"She's a child." she managed to get out. "She didn't know what she was doing. This is the first time she has ever worked with her own Ka. You must understand."
She reached at anything she could find.
"Nobody was hurt. Whatever was destroyed, I will pay for. Just don't hurt her. Don't take her. Please."

Meanwhile, there was some small movement on the bed under the sheets. Naima froze.
'Please… please, not now…'

But Zahra began to stir, her burgandy eyes peeking out groggily from in between the folds of the linen.

"Seize her!"

"No!" Naima screamed.
Somehow, everything both slowed down and sped up around her at the same time. It was as if she was living in some strange, twisted dream where she did not have control over any of her limbs. All she knew was that she had to move as the guards lunged toward Zahra, as she lunged toward the guards, on top of them, in between them, trying to pry their hands off her sister and failing. Until the guards jumped on her too and pulled her back against her own screaming and thrashing and Penthu's bellowing in the background, as they dragged her sister, still weak from the ordeal, from her bed and into shackles.

"Naima?" Zahra croaked from the floor in between the tangle of arms that was holding her down. "What's going on?"
Zahra was still so weak, coughing and grunting against them. It was too much too soon.

They hauled Zahra up to her feet and Naima flailed against the arms and hands holding her back. She had to get to her. But, it was no use.

"SHE'S JUST A CHILD!" Naima howled at them and continued screaming as they dragged Zahra out of the hall.

"How dare you take a patient out of here without my permission." Penthu screamed after them.

But as quickly as they came, Zahra was gone.

-o0o-

Every minute was suffocating, every irritating voice around her another death knell to her sister's fate. The space around her in this wretched hall was far too small and there were too many people here, all presumably gathered under the guise of "official business" but Naima knew they were just here to witness a spectacle — her sister getting sentenced to death. Every few minutes, she felt curious eyes on her and a look of fake sympathy cast her way. She was close to breaking, to screaming at everyone to get lost.
Despite the amount of people present, the large hall loomed around her. Naima was no stranger to this room; The high, vaulted ceilings, tall pillars, polished stone walls trimmed with gold and accented with lavish red fabric, and the enormous throne in the middle were certainly pleasant on the eyes. But to Naima, this hall was connected to too many bad memories with this day being one of them. Every time she was in this hall, she felt so very small in more ways than one.

Her eyes scanned.
Zahra was nowhere to be found. Kerpheres stood in the middle of the hall in front of the empty throne with a bored, lazy expression, as if he had another hundred things he would rather be doing.

There had to be something, something she could say or do. But there was only one person who would save them now.
Atem. Where the hell was he?
He was her only hope. He could fix this. Let this entire thing go. The thought was a gleaming ray of hope that shone through in her mind.
Although, the thought kept needling at her — What if.. What if he didn't?

She couldn't bear to hope, to expect him to take her side, could she?
Naima shrank into the darkness of her thoughts, the image of Atem's eyes looking straight at her before sentencing her sister to death, stating that he was bound by the rules of the kingdom and that there was nothing that he could do… the sharp sting of betrayal. The sad story of her mother was a stark reminder that they were never safe. It could very well turn into both her and Zahra in the front of the hall, begging for their lives, or both kicked out to wander the desert back to their home village in shame.
He wouldn't do that to her… he couldn't…

It was difficult to ignore the feeling in the pit of her stomach, the unsettling suspicion that if things did not go well, she would need to somehow escape with Zahra. The only other option was death. The thought of it made her mouth go dry and sour.
She needed a plan just in case things went awry. That would be their only hope. Or else they would go down together. Sparks and flames flashed before her eyes as she pictured what she hoped would be their last resort. If they had to use their powers, they would at least go down fighting…

'Think.'
Her eyes darted around the hall, noting all the doors and mapping out the possible ways to exit, narrowing down which would be the shortest, the easiest, the one that would lead them to the horse stable the fastest. There would be no time to collect their belongings.

A large bang echoed throughout and the noise almost put her over the edge as her mind continued to race, her heart hammering in her chest. People came to attention. All the noise in the hall ceased.

Atem appeared from the far doorway. He was trailed behind by a few of his court. Not the entire court, Naima noticed. She recognized Mahad, Aknadin, Seto and Isis, but Karim and Shada were not present.
Atem's expression was stoic and still as his usual. But his jaw was stiff and his eyes bristled in a way that showed that he was certainly not happy to be there. He took a seat on his throne while his court filed next to him quietly.

There was a long moment of expectant silence as Atem's eyes slid from one side of the room to the other, assessing, in an irritated, almost bored fashion, and they finally settled on Kerpheres in the middle, narrowing in sharp precision.

"Speak."
Atem's voice, his raw command, cut through the hall and echoed throughout. One single word caused everyone in the hall to stiffen.

"My Pharaoh," Kerpheres started, his voice polished and official. "I realize you are busy and I thank you for making time for this today."
He turned to his side. "Bring out the girl." He called out behind him.

The crowd parted as two or three guards pushed through, and Zahra appeared from in between, weak and shackled. She appeared disheveled, as if she had fought. But she stood steady on her feet and despite the fear that was paramount in her expression, a fire still blazed in her eyes.

"I have requested an audience with you because this girl has made an attempt on my life. I know you have been away, My Pharaoh, so I am unsure if you have been updated on the events that have occurred while you were gone."
Kerpheres paused. Atem made no gesture of acknowledgment and continued to look on at him with a discerning stare.

Unperturbed by the lack of response, Kerpheres continued.
"The girl released her Ka and was unable to control it. It launched multiple attacks on me, along with terrorizing everyone here in the palace. There are many witnesses. As a result, I am deeply concerned about the safety of myself, my family and everyone else that resides here. This girl has also been following me for weeks and appears to have some sort of vendetta against me. Based on this, I believe her attack on me was deliberate and should be treated as an attempted murder."

Another harrowing pause. Kerpheres shifted awkwardly in place.
"My Pharaoh," A very slight, almost indiscernible hesitancy now colored his voice. "I believe the standard punishment for attempted murder in our kingdom is beheading." He side-eyed Zahra with a thin veil of disgust.
"But, I understand that both your and your father's regime have been in search of powerful Ka due to the recent uprisings. Might I suggest taking that girl's Ka for your own use. I can attest to its power. I assure you that her Ka will be a great addition to your collection."

Absolute silence.

Atem eventually stood up from his throne without a word. The entire hall remained still, so quiet that every bump and shuffle echoed throughout. Through the ambient noise, Naima noted the sounds of a dull uproar coming from outside, possibly a large crowd of people that had gathered.

Naima held her breath, her heart pounding as she watched Atem walk forward slowly and silently, toward Zahra. He stopped in front of Zahra and they exchanged looks, her peering up at him with big eyes filled with trepidation, and him looking down at her, his face revealing nothing.

A few excruciating seconds passed when finally, a small smile cracked on his face.
"Go on." he said, nodding his head to the side toward Naima.

Naima's breath caught in her throat as she watched Zahra hesitate and freeze, as if she could not believe her ears, still looking up at Atem in disbelief.

"Go." Atem said again, gesturing toward Naima with a small, dismissive wave of his hand.

Cool relief broke open inside her, so much that she almost collapsed into tears right there at the sight of her sister scurrying toward her and pushing her way through the crowd. Zahra threw her arms around her neck, whimpering and trembling, and Naima embraced her sister as tightly as she could before quickly shushing her. The continued silence and stiffness in the hall were a stark reminder that this was not over. Far from it.

Atem took a few slow steps toward Kerpheres and stood before him, eyes piercing into him like knives.

"You interrupted my father's funeral proceedings… for this…?" Atem's voice was quiet, murderously calm.

Kerpheres appeared taken aback.
"Well I…—" he began to stammer. "I was almost killed, and many others were put in danger, my Pharaoh, by that girl. I realize this matter may complicate things with your… relationship…" he spat that last word, eyes briefly glancing over toward Naima's direction. "But this has gotten utterly out of hand. And since your guards are absolutely useless, standing around watching while teenage girls are allowed to follow people and wreak havoc as they please, I feel I have no other choice than to bring this matter to you. The fact is that when she released her Ka, she targeted me with her attacks. Additionally, I caught this girl in my chamber rifling through my things. So she is not only violent, but a thief. That girl and her Ka are danger to us all, my Pharaoh."

Zahra rolled her eyes and glared daggers at him, while Atem raised an eyebrow and waited another assessing moment as he continued to stare at Kerpheres.

The silence continued to fester, and Kerpheres began to fidget.
"If you do not believe me, you can see for yourself. May I suggest to do a Millennium Trial on the girl." he said

The corner of Atem's mouth curled upward into a smirk. "Yes, that is an excellent idea Kerpheres. I'm glad that you suggested it."

Next to Atem, Mahad turned to one of the guards, snapped his fingers and waved a hand. And to Naima's astonishment, within seconds, three guards appeared holding Halima by the arms. Her struggles and cries echoed throughout the hall as she was dragged to the middle and brought to her knees next to her father.

"Halima?" Kerpheres stared down at his distressed daughter in total surprise, before glaring at Mahad.
"What is this?"

Mahad crossed his arms over his chest.
"Your daughter has been lurking around this palace for weeks. A few nights ago, I happened to catch her sneaking around the hospital, where I witnessed an interesting interaction between her and our apprentice healer."

Naima froze.
All eyes darted toward her. Halima began to cry.
Mahad was… there? The entire time he was there, listening, seeing everything that happened. He knew, but never let on… until the right moment.
Realization crashed over her. Mahad…. Naima now understood that she had severely underestimated Atem's head of security. Somehow, between his connections and his powers and whatever else, he knew everything that went on, whether he was present for it or not. But how?
She took a few furtive glances at the guards who brought Halima out, the guards who stood at each entrance and around the hall. They were so silent, and as Kerpheres said, all they did was watch. Both confrontations with Kerpheres, they watched. Naima did not consider that perhaps they would report back what they saw, to their boss… Mahad. The palace guards were not only the muscle, but Mahad's eyes and ears when he could not be physically present.

Naima continued to stare at Mahad in utter fascination. He eventually caught her eye, as if he knew, as if he could sense her total bafflement at the situation. He gave her a small smile and a nod.

Atem looked over his shoulder, toward his court.
"Aknadin."
Only a single word was needed for Aknadin to move toward Halima, who was now sobbing so hard she had to be hoisted up by the guards.
Aknadin's face was expressionless as his hair parted, and a flash of light shone from the golden eye in his head to reveal what happened between her and Halima. Everyone saw her, and she saw herself. Dark and vicious and cold. Was it really her that she was watching… Only a short while ago, she wouldn't have believed it.

"Very interesting… " Atem said as his eyes slid between Kerpheres and Halima. "Tell me Kerpheres, why did your daughter attempt to kill my apprentice healer?"

Kerpheres wrinkled his nose and scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest indignantly.
"She wants to be Queen?" he snarled with a smart-ass tone in his voice. "How am I supposed to know. Maybe you should ask her."

Atem locked his eyes onto Kerpheres and smirked.
"I believe something in this story seems to be missing."
Kerpheres stiffened.
"Step forward." Atem declared.

Kerpheres shrank back in confusion at Atem's command.
"Me? Why me?" His head darted toward Halima. "What about her? She's the one who tried to kill the girl…. You saw it yourself. I have nothing to do with this. You should be examining her, not me."

Halima, who wept on the floor, simply looked at her father with such a tired, sullen emptiness. As if she knew better than to expect any sort of benevolence or kindness from the man who she called her father.
Naima felt disgust rising up in her stomach like bile. Kerpheres would throw his own daughter to the lions if it would save himself.

Atem's eyes narrowed, his expression becoming dark and deadly.
"…I said… step.. forward."
At that, guards came to attention, hands on the hilt of their swords.

At a total loss for words and fear shining in his eyes, Kerpheres obeyed and took two steps forward. Atem gave a curt nod toward Aknadin, a gesture for him to continue.

Both Kerpheres and Aknadin exchanged a look. It was only maybe one or two seconds, but it was… full. As if the eye contact between them held an entire conversation.
Very strange.

A white light flashed, and then scenes of Zahra following him, of Kerpheres screaming at her and yelling obscenities and threats followed.

"What else can you show us, Aknadin?" Mahad asked.

"Let me see…" Aknadin said.
His eye flashed again to reveal another scene, two people speaking together in a dark, torch-lit room — Kerpheres and Halima.

"Halima, this is the opportunity we have been waiting for. The Pharaoh finally wants his son to marry." Kerpheres muttered as he locked his eyes on Halima. "Don't you want to be Queen?"

Halima glanced up at her father mutely.

"We were previously denied this in the past, but now we are given another chance." Kerpheres said. "Do not waste this. Your failure may mean the collapse of our city as we know it. You know how much I despise begging for aid."

Halima cast a look off to the side with cold disgust on her face.
"Because of your mistakes… now we must beg for aid for our city… now we must lie and do shameful things so that I can embezzle money… for you.."

"Shut up." Kerpheres growled. "How dare you…"
He stood up and paced around his desk.
"I made some poor business decisions.…"

"A business decision?" Halima hissed. "Is that what you are calling it now? Who do you think you are fooling? Our harvests have been poor for the last five years and yet you have continued to spend money on lavish things despite mother's objections, you have avoided paying our taxes to the Pharaoh and you have gambled our own money away, as well as the city's money. Now we are in so much debt we cannot even bear to continue. Everyone knows this, and our great city is now a laughing stock. Everyone is laughing at us, father. We are a failure, because of you."

Kerpheres glared at Halima.
"Really… as if you did not enjoy those lavish things that you are now complaining about. You want to live like a slave then? You want to wear rags and eat nothing but stale bread everyday?"

Halima scoffed and crossed her arms.

Kerpheres growled in frustration.
"Enough of this. You are to marry the Pharaoh no matter what. Do you understand me? No.. matter.. what… And you will do whatever it takes to get there. And then, we discussed what you are to do afterward…."

"You want me to marry him, and then kill him. Kill the Pharaoh…" Halima muttered with disgust. "I still do not understand why, Father…"

"I have duties and a deal to uphold, daughter." Kerpheres said. "Once the Pharaoh is dead, you will be left as the sole queen and then you are to marry Priest Seto, so that he may become the new Pharaoh."

Halima simply stared at the wall next to her father, her face tight and unsettled. "You are only using me for your own purposes. I am just a pawn in your little game."

"Oh? And what other purpose do you have?"
Halima was silent.
"Let me guess… you want love..? Freedom?" Kerpheres spat. "Wake up from that dream, you foolish child. Those things only exist in children's stories."

Halima continued to stare ahead blankly.
"I don't care. I don't want to marry Priest Seto. I don't want to kill anyone." she mumbled. "I don't want to do any of this."

"Silence…" Kerpheres shouted as he slammed some papyrus against the desk. "You will do as I say, lest you shame our entire family."

The vision of the memory retrieved from Aknadins's eye dissipated into mist, and the entire hall was so silent and still that Naima was afraid to make even a sound. The air was heavy with shock, and people shifted uncomfortably in their spots.

"He said something about a deal…" Mahad said, finally breaking the silence. "Can you reveal more about that, Aknadin?"
Atem nodded in agreement.

Aknadin's face was hard and blank as he turned back toward Kerpheres. His eye flashed again.
"The memory of those details is blocked. I cannot access it." he said with a flat tone.

After a few moments, Kerpheres regained his composure. All eyes were on him.

"Why did you desire for Priest Seto to take the throne alongside your daughter?" Mahad asked Kerpheres.

There was a subtle flash of light from Aknadin's Millennium Eye that caught Naima's attention. It was so small that perhaps it could have been the sunlight… or maybe, something else…

"It was what made the most sense." Kerpheres said. "Since the Pharaoh is not married and has no children, he has no natural heir. Aknadin is too old, so Priest Seto would naturally be the next in line." Kerpheres said.

Atem sat back in his throne and appeared to contemplate for a few minutes.
"I believe we have seen enough." he said. The weight of his words hung in the room as he now focused his eyes on Kerpheres.
"Well Kerpheres? Do you have anything to say for yourself?"
And for once in his life, Kerpheres was speechless. It appeared that he was trying to speak, but every time he did, the words kept getting caught in his throat.

Atem smirked. "Today did not go as you thought it would, did it?" he said.
"For someone so concerned about safety. you seem to have no regard for anyone's life except your own. Your hypocrisy and lies are sickening."

Kerpheres swallowed and clenched his fists.
"My Pharaoh.. please, there must be some misunderstanding."

"There is no misunderstanding. It is all very clear to me." Atem said. "Blinded by your own greed and desperation, you conspired and sought to overthrow me for your own gain. You used your own daughter as a puppet. Somehow, this does not surprise me. You are a stain on my kingdom, and on humanity."
"I formally charge you with high treason and for conspiracy to overthrow the Pharaoh, and I find you guilty. Now, for someone who is as familiar with punishments as you are, Kerpheres, I'm sure you know what the punishment for that is."

Utter silence.

"You will burn," Atem stated with a quiet, seething calmness. "Your ashes will be scattered to the wind. You will have no afterlife."
Atem lifted his chin now to face the crowd.
"Let this be a lesson to everyone here that I do not take kindly to betrayal." he announced to the silent, stunned crowd before him. "I promise that anyone who dares to conspire against me, will share his fate…"

And to the total astonishment of everyone in the room, Kerpheres scoffed at Atem's words. He hocked a ball of spit in his throat and spat it on the carpet at his feet.

"This is horse shit. I refuse to accept this decree from you. You are a disgrace to your father —"
Kerpheres's words became garbled as guards surrounded him, tied ropes around his limbs, and put a cloth over his mouth. They then dragged him through the middle of the hall and eventually out the now-open doors to the outside, into the front courtyard that faced the city. As they hauled Kerpheres down, Atem stood up from his throne and quickly followed after them, stalking down the burgundy carpet toward the doors.
Everyone quickly followed after.

How everyone in the city somehow knew that something was about to transpire was a mystery to her. Hundreds of people lined the streets and the edge of the palace grounds, enough that they needed to be held back by guards. They cheered and jeered and shouted and even threw things. Many were obviously drunk and expecting a show.

After a moment, more guards appeared with kindling material.

"Put that back." Atem said to them. "That won't be necessary."
His eyes searched the crowd and landed in Naima's general direction, but instead focused on Zahra. He pointed to her and motioned for her to come up toward him.

Zahra became stiff again. "Me?" she breathed and looked back at her.
"Naima…"

"Go… Just go…" Naima uttered, pushing her sister toward Atem. Now was certainly not the time to challenge him.

Zahra stumbled up toward him looking like a scared animal. But, mercifully, Atem looked at her with a small smile. He leaned his head down toward her ear and whispered something.
And whatever he said, Zahra's eyes became wide. She glanced at Kerpheres, and then toward Atem again, as if asking for confirmation.

Atem nodded toward her.

Kerpheres continued to mutter obscenities at them underneath the cloth over his mouth and struggle against the hold of the ropes. Zahra glanced up at Atem again. He stood a ways behind her on the front steps of the courtyard, his arms crossed over his chest and his cape blowing in the wind.

The crowd silenced, and Atem's voice thundered through the courtyard.
"Let it be known that I am Atem, the son of Aknamkanon, the rightful heir and ruler of Egypt." he declared. "Disrespect… disloyalty…—" He gritted his jaw and focused his eyes on Kerpheres. "Treachery… in any form, will not be tolerated."

Cheers erupted throughout.

Meanwhile, Kerpheres somehow managed to maneuver around the cloth tied against his mouth.

"Treachery…. My Pharaoh.." Kerpheres muttered. "You know nothing of treachery until you see what lies within your own walls." He glanced around. "How convenient, the snake isn't here —"

"Oh, shut the fuck up, you worthless sack of shit." Zahra snarled. She seemed to have found her nerve.

And then Kerpheres glanced over at her with such burning hatred in his eyes.
"Quiet down, dog. Nobody cares about you."

Naima froze in horror, witnessing her sister's entire body stiffen and crinkle.

"Be silent." Atem growled as the guards pushed Kerpheres's torso down again and adjusted the cloth back over his mouth.

What appeared to be a lifetime's worth of angst and pain passed over Zahra's face for barely a second, and then her eyes lit up in a blaze, crimson and raw and burning. She began to tremble.

"Zahra.."
Atem mumbled quietly as he stood behind Zahra on those steps. A gentle nudge.
Zahra turned around to glance at him once more before finally locking her eyes on Kerpheres in front of her, her face a bit crazed.

The air began to swirl with heat.

'Zahra….'
Is she going to… kill him? That was what Atem called her up for. To execute him. And she agreed.
Visions of her sister flashed before her eyes, of when they were both younger and wilder and happier… a simpler time when the only thing they had to worry about was temple chores and what was for dinner. Zahra was so… innocent. They both were.
And now, as she watched Zahra form a raging sphere of fire from her bare hands, an inferno so violent that it could have filled up the entire hospital with flames, she wondered if it was inevitable. If there was anything she could have done to save that innocent sparkle in Zahra's eyes that died so quickly only a short time ago.

Finally, Zahra hurled the ball forward, toward Kerpheres whose face was frozen into a mask of pure horror as he beheld the fire that would swallow him whole. And as the ball hit its target and flames danced and billowed upward, people around her began screaming. Screaming both at the sight of a man engulfed in flames, and at the creature that had now risen up over Zahra through the billowing fire and smoke, the black dragon that lived in her. Naima took in the sight of that dragon sitting so proudly atop Zahra with its wings outstretched, the scales on its head and belly flashing in the sunlight. It let out an ear-splitting screech, before dissipating into mist as quickly as it appeared.

Eventually, the flames subsided but the charred mound of flesh atop the stones of the courtyard continued to burn, crackling and spitting and sizzling.
The smell of it made Naima's stomach churn.

Atem glanced over to his side at Seto and nodded at him. Despite no words being exchanged, Seto somehow knew what he was to do, pulling his Millennium Rod out from his belt. A stone tablet was wheeled over toward him.
Standing over Kerpheres's flaming body, he wielded his rod and motioned upward as the awful noise of growling and gnashing of teeth filled the air. Naima was sickened as she eyed the silhouette of the creature that emerged from the charred flesh. It had far too many eyes, with claws and a gaping mouth where its stomach should be. It gurgled and writhed until Seto clutched his rod with both hands and waved it into the stone tablet with a loud bang.

Meanwhile, Halima stood by the doors. If two guards had not been holding her arms, Naima suspected she would have already collapsed to the ground in a weeping, screaming mess. She bawled and thrashed against the hold of the guards as she beheld the sight of her father's body burning on the ground and the tablet inscribed with her father's Ka being wheeled away. Between that, and the sight of her scrunched crying face, Naima couldn't help but to feel a wave of sympathy for her, to have just witnessed what she did.

Atem walked over to Halima, knelt down and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Halima…" he said gently between her sobbing. "This is very serious. I need to you listen carefully."

Halima certainly tried to as she looked at him, the volume of her sobbing tapering down a little bit. Atem stood back up and searched through the crowd again. Naima thought nothing of it, until his eyes finally landed on her and he gestured for her to come stand next to him. A pang of dread hit her.
'Oh Ra… what now..'
She staggered through the crowd toward him.

"Usually, someone who has committed a crime such as yours would be sentenced to death." Atem said to Halima as Naima made her way up the courtyard steps. "But since Naima was the one who was harmed, I will leave your fate in her hands."

Naima gaped at Atem in disbelief.
"..What…?" Her voice shook.
Everyone was now looking at her. She couldn't do this. Why would he do this. Put her in charge of this sort of matter… The weight of someone's life now felt heavy atop her shoulders.

He only looked back at her with that half-smile on his face.
"I leave it to you, Naima." he said gently. "Whatever punishment you see fit for her, is what she will receive."

Halima's fate in her hands. Naima looked down at Halima's face, tired and red and caked in tears and smeared makeup. Their eyes met, and the look on Halima's face was so dreading and so certain. Halima said no words, but her face said it all, her expression very clearly saying to her 'I know what I did to you, and I accept my fate.' Halima then bowed her head in defeat and closed her eyes in preparation, as if she was waiting to hear her own death sentence.

But, Naima wavered.
What good would it do to sentence Halima to death, or prison. What purpose would this serve other than to satisfy her own selfish desire for vengeance. No one was hurt. And Halima herself is not a danger to the public. Not anymore, at least.
Kerpheres's body continued to crackle in the background as Naima considered, and the doorway to the large hall next to her edged into the periphery of her vision. The same hall where she herself was also put under a trial and scrutinized, her darkest moments revealed for the world to see. It was mercy that had saved her from more torture and cruelty — mercy that no one except Atem thought she deserved, but was granted regardless.

Naima took in a slow inhale, and she saw Halima shoulders tighten as she braced herself for the worst.

"I understand why you did what you did." Naima said quietly. "I have no ill-will toward you. I believe you have suffered enough."
She looked back at Atem.
"My wish is that she is treated with kindness."

Atem studied her for a moment. He then nodded.
"A wise choice."

Halima's shoulders sagged, the look on her face incredulous. Fresh tears came to her eyes.

Atem turned toward Halima.
"I have known you for many years, Halima." he said. At those words, Halima bowed her head in shame. "I have watched you grow into who you are today. And through those years, I have seen your father's influence on you grow more and more. The Halima I knew from long ago would never have done this." Atem took two steps back, still looking at her.
"Naima's wish for you is kindness. I believe the kindest thing I can do for you is to release you from the evil that your father has imbued onto you."
Atem held out a hand, his palm facing her forehead.
"For your own sake," The surface of his Millennium pendant flashed and glinted in the sunlight as the wind picked up around him. "I dispel the darkness from inside your mind and your heart."

Then, Halima's entire body froze. Just stopped moving. Her face stopped, her eyes were stuck in the same spot. For a few seconds, she stayed like this until she finally collapsed onto the ground in a heap, unconscious.

"There…" Atem said.

Naima stared at him.
Did he just… what did he even do to her? What just happened? She looked closer. Halima didn't look any different. She looked at his face hoping for an explanation, but he simply stared ahead with his hand resting idly on his Pendant, watching as the guards gently picked up Halima's unconscious body and carried her away.

"Naima…"
Zahra's voice sounded behind her. Her sister looked so tired and ragged.

Naima immediately embraced her sister. "Zahra…. We're okay." she mumbled, more for her own comfort than anything.

"Yeah." Zahra said into her shoulder. "We're okay."


Author's note:

-Very delayed update this time - sorry! I went on vacation and I also spent quite a bit more time on this one in general, since it was essentially the culmination of everything that has been built up since chapter 22 and I wanted to make sure I included everything I needed to. I really enjoyed writing this sub-plot and felt it was important to include because I wanted to show Atem coming into his own power and basically showing "I am the Pharaoh now". We also see the first of Atem's/Yami Yugi's "mind crush" power as he learns the powers of his Millennium Item.

-The plot for Halima to marry Seto so he would become Pharaoh is inspired by the story of Ankhsenamun — Tutankhamen's widow. The speculation goes that after Tutankhamen died, Ankhsenamun was in a perilous position since whoever married her would become Pharaoh since they had no male heir. There is some evidence that she may have written a letter to the ruler of the Hittite nation asking for him to send one of his sons to marry so that she would not have to marry one of her subjects. The Hittite son died en route to Egypt (likely murdered), and Ankhsenamun ended up having to marry Ay, Tutankhamen's former vizier, presumably against her will. Ay became the Pharaoh after that.

-The burning alive punishment was an homage and a sort-of origin story to the infamous Season 0 manga scenes where Yami Yugi seems to have an affinity for burning people alive, in particular when he constructed a penalty game that caused the guy to be burned alive from a lighter and alcohol. I think it has even more significance when you consider that in Ancient Egypt, being burnt alive was one of the most feared punishments because without your physical body, you could not enter the afterlife.