Research, people! I did research for this!! *sigh* The things I do for fanfiction… Anyway, I just wanted something both based on history and Yu-Gi-Oh. Special thanks to WSJ for helping me set some of my facts straight.

Disclaimer: I used to own the Yu-Gi-Oh cast back in the good old days of Egypt, but then came the ideas of human rights, equality, and anti-slavery, and everyone got awfully cocky. -_-;

Betrayal of a God

The ten-year-old heir to the throne was in the middle of a shadow game when a messenger burst into the sacred inner room of the temple at Amarna. "What is it?" snapped the prince, a little annoyed that his moment of dreadful silence had been interrupted. It was supposed to be the time when the opponent's heart sank in dread.

"My lord," the messenger started softly, "Your father, the pharaoh Akhenaten has died."

"He what??"

"Anubis has gathered his soul from this world. You…you are…"
The boy's mouth opened in shock. "By Seth, I'm pharaoh!"

The messenger nodded.

A youth of about eighteen stepped from the shadows, his blue robes swirling about him. His true name was Ay, but his cold, cunning personality meant he was not well liked despite his importance. Behind his back many called him Seto, a variant of Seth, the "evil" god, eternal enemy of Horus, and murderer of Osiris. "Life, health, and prosperity, my liege," said Ay. "We must prepare you to be crowned. We must also tell you wife of this occurrence as quickly as possible."

"I…I wanted to finish my game," protested the young prince plaintively, rubbing a hand through his brilliant yellow bangs. The rest of his hair was already spiking in red and black, a sign of great potential power in the shadow games. Most boys had either a lock hanging down the side of the head or were completely shaved. Only the most prominent shadow game players kept a full head of hair, and often in unusual shapes and sizes. Ay himself had unusually light hair, brown instead of black, and thick.

Ay bowed with a sweep of cerulean cloth. "If you so desire, pharaoh. I shall attend to the travel matters without you then…unless that displeases you?"

The boy waved him off. "No, no, go ahead. I don't care."

With an officious nod, Ay swept off. This was going to be easier than he had first anticipated. The new pharaoh, at merely the age of ten, was more worried about his pathetic shadow games than ruling a country. No, Ay held the true power. He smiled slightly to himself as he left the temple. Power, it was such a lovely word.

*

"What's going on?" demanded the new pharaoh, walking into a room full of bustling slaves.

"We're going to Thebes for the coronation," said his young wife. "Didn't Seto tell you?"

He shook his head. "I…I was beating some guy from the east in a shadow game."

She grinned. "Again."

He smiled back. "Yep. Again." His face suddenly became serious. "Now that I'm pharaoh, you're my queen, right?"

She nodded.

"Does that mean I have to call you by your full name: Ankhesenpaaten?"

She cocked her head, thinking. "Maybe in front of the subjects."

"But at home I'm still gonna call you Anzu, K? That's easier."

"I still get to call you Yami?"

"I don't mind. Either that or Horus, Strong Bull, whose Images are Born, whose Laws are Good, who Pacifies All the Gods, who Brings Together Divine Order, who Pleases the Gods, Lord of Ra's Being, Living Image of Aten."

The queen laughed, momentarily forgetting her new position and reverting to the behavior of a normal ten-year-old upon hearing her husband list his many titles. "I'll stick with Yami."

"It doesn't even sound like my real name…or any of them."

"I know. But I like the sound of it."

"Hm. Me too."

Both children were in a good mood for the whole boat ride to Thebes. They sat together at the front of the ship, gazing at the various forms of wildlife in the Nile on its banks. Ay sat in the shade under a canopy on the bank, watching the royal couple. They went well together, despite still being much too young to understand the true meaning of marriage. The youth allowed himself a smile. Everything was working out so well. He stifled a yawn in the midday heat. He'd have to arrange a meeting with the priests of Amon as soon as possible; he already had ties with them, and he was certain they could cut a rather beneficial deal. Besides, now that he was practically vizier of all the land, gaining power would be much easier.

*

The priest was not completely taken by surprise when he found that the most trusted advisor to the new pharaoh wished to speak with him; Ay had connections with the priests already. Pendhera was a tall, thin man who was rather fond of dark magic; he was officially a priest of Amon, despite his substantial interest in the shadow powers. "So," he started, rather obsequiously, after the usual pleasantries, "how does our new pharaoh view the actions of his late father Akhenaten?"

"That heretic? Let's just say that under this reign, the old gods will return. No more of this monotheistic all-embracing Aten nonsense."

"Really? He has such plans already!"

Ay smiled a rather unpleasant grin. "I do. Therefore, so does our young ruler."

"Excellent."

"We cannot, however, completely abolish completely the worship of Aten," said Ay rather regretfully. "Not yet. Such a change would be too much for the Two Kingdoms. The gods know the Two Kingdoms went through enough with Akhenaten declaring suddenly that Aten alone was to be worshipped. We cannot simply abolish the current form again."

"So we'll undermine it little by little."

"Precisely. The old gods shall, in a way, become a tool for us as we gain more power." As I gain more power, Ay corrected himself silently. These priests themselves are no more than tools, money-hungry tools that will aid me should I need it. And with the priests of the most popular god come the followers, the very people of Egypt. "We'll mobilize the army again, too."

"Good, give all those men something to do. Horemheb's a good general." Pendhera paused. "Powerful too. It will be good to send him away for a while."

"Yes. And with the added income from the tribute he brings, I'll make sure the pharaoh presents a sizeable amount to the priests. We'll also have the coronation at the temple of Amon."

*

The young pharaoh wandered the halls of his new palace, rather lost. He wasn't wearing his usual jewelry, so none of the few slaves he passed paid any attention to him. He hadn't minded, though. That gave him a chance to explore without attendants or, worse, Ay breathing down his neck and dictating his every move. Now, however, he was tired and all the corridors and pillars looked the same. Everyone must have been unpacking in the living quarters of the palace, because he didn't see anyone about.

With an annoyed sigh, he sat down on the marble floor and leaned his back against a pillar.

"Lost?"

Yami whirled around to see a boy in a purple cape-like cloak. His hair was a sandy tan color and stuck out in spiked clumps in every direction. He was obviously another shadow game player, but he seemed kind enough at the moment.

"Yes," Yami admitted.

The boy helped him up and grinned. "I'll help you find where you want to go. My name's Marik, by the way."
Yami found himself liking this newcomer. "I'm the pharaoh," he said quickly.

Marik's jaw dropped. "You're the new pharaoh??"

"Um…yeah. We got here two days ago."

"Whoa. I've been here before with my father, cause he was a friend of your father's. But I never got to meet you."

"They kept me mostly in Amarna," said Yami. "But Se - uh, Ay wanted to come back here." He sighed. "I miss Amarna. It was the city of my father's god, Aten."

"Ah. This way, my liege."

They walked down the corridors together, making their way back to the pharaoh's chambers as they wove the beginnings of a friendship.

*

A week later, Ay arranged a meeting with the young king and queen. He wasted little time on formalities before getting straight to the point. "Your majesties, we're going to change the 'Aten' in your names to 'Amon.'"

"Why?" demanded Yami. "What's wrong with the names our father gave us?"

Seto sighed. "See, when your father brought the worship of Aten to the Two Kingdoms, he abolished all other gods."

"I know."

"That means that the priests of the other gods became upset, especially the priests of Amon. Do you know why?"

"Amon had been very powerful before," replied Yami, pleased that he knew the answer.

"Exactly. Now that there is no more Akhenaten, they have become powerful again, and we should try to be friendlier with them. Changing the pharaoh and his queen's names should help that."

"Oh."

"So now I'll be Ankhesenpaamon, 'She Who Lives in Amon?'" queried the queen.

"And I'll be 'The Living Image of Amon.'"

They sat in silence. "I don't like it," said Ankhesenpaaten suddenly. "It sounds strange."

"Yeah."

Ay rolled his eyes. "They will be your royal names. Your 'Aten' names will remain your birth names."

"All right," said the pharaoh. "Besides, when we talk to each other, we don't even use the birth names."

"That's settled then," said Ay, apparently happy to be done with the discussion.

*

The kingdom prospered under the new pharaoh's reign. Ay guided him firmly, managing most issues. He managed the thin balance of keeping the people, the priests, and the military satisfied. He also made sure the young sovereign had enough contact with the people so as not to seem cold and detached. The boy captured easily the hearts of those worried by successions and potentially tyrannical rulers. Ay recognized that trait's value and made sure to use it. It wasn't long before they were secure enough in power for Ay to send work teams to Amarna to destroy the city. This pleased the priests of Amon greatly.

Both the pharaoh and his vizier also focused on their shadow powers, though it was now second to ruling the kingdom. Yami grew to excel in the art, but his advisor matched him nearly exactly in power. Ay, however, knew how to play just well enough to challenge his pharaoh and still allow a seemingly brilliant victory in the last moment.

Seto also approved of the pharaoh's friendship with Marik. They often played the shadow games together, freeing Seto to do what he liked. Absorbed in his games and strategies as well as collaborating with Marik, the pharaoh would have less time to desire power for himself. But Yami was watching all the same, observing as Ay ran the kingdom and wondering when he would truly be the ruler of Egypt.

*

More time passed, and the pharaoh, though now well into his teens, still bent mostly to Ay's will. He had, however, grown more acutely aware of the subtleties of the lives of the nobility and longed to stretch his arms out in power and to stretch against the gilded shackles Seto had created. Yami suddenly blinked back to reality. The advisor had been talking and was now finishing his report.

"If you'll excuse me, I need to go start preparing for the next festival. And the tribute caravans will be arriving within a month. I need to oversee preparations."

"No," said Yami on a sudden impulse.

Ay froze. "I beg your pardon?"

The pharaoh's eyes held a new glint. "I said no, Ay. I'm seventeen now. I can act as pharaoh for myself. You will always remain at my side, but I've decided I want to oversee a few things now."

The advisor's mouth dropped open. "After all that I've-"

Yami clapped his hands once, and two bodyguards stepped from the shadows to stand beside him, their spears at ready. Cold rage flared within Ay, but he bowed slightly. "If you so desire."

Yami clutched his crook and flail in his right hand, willing himself to remain dignified. "Address your pharaoh by his title."

"My apologies, Morning and Evening Star," said Seto with a forced tone. He turned with a swirl of robes. The royal couple saw him raise his hand and snap his fingers as he strode from the hall. Four bodyguards joined him and followed him from the hall.

Ankesenpaamon looked worried, but did not speak until they retired in the evening.

"You must get rid of Seto," she said decisively, looking her husband in the eye. "Banish him or something; you are not safe now that you have threatened his hold on the power."

The pharaoh sighed heavily, a twinge of fear stabbing through his heart. "I know, but I cannot. For the time being, he is still too powerful, and I cannot afford to lose his experience. I…I should not have done what I did today."

"But you are pharaoh," she protested. "Get rid of him!"

Yami, already strained under the pressures upon him, snapped. "It's too early! Who are you to order me about?" he demanded, suddenly rounding on his wife. "Queen? By the fangs of Apep that you should hold such a title! You have been my wife for seven years and bore me no heir, though you bore Anubis two!!"

There was a moment of awful pained silence. Glittering tears collected in Ankesenpaamon's eyes before trickling down her cheeks and smudging the dark kohl she wore. "It is not my fault they were stillborn," she said softly. "I would not have wished that on them. I loved them the moment they were conceived…" She broke off, struggling not to cry.

Yami hugged her suddenly. "I didn't mean it," he said, perhaps a little gruffly, never having been good at lovers' sappiness. "It doesn't matter, anyway. I'll appoint someone else heir. And I'll have a slave watch Seto if that makes you feel better."

She nodded. "Do that. I fear so much for you. Didn't you see his eyes?"

*

Nothing happened for quite a while, though. The pharaoh handled the tribute caravans and festivals beautifully. He had easily found favor with the people, who were enchanted by the idea of the youthful, vibrant pharaoh and his cheerful, lovely wife. Two months later, though, Marik sent him word that the royal stables had acquired a new horse.

Yami went out to the open area as quickly as possible, where he saw his friend grinning, holding a white horse by the halter. "It's beautiful," exclaimed the pharaoh, his eyes shining like those of a six-year-old just presented with a new toy. He reached for the reins, but Marik held up a cautioning hand.

"He's not fully broken, my lord. I just wanted to show you, but you'd best not try to ride it."

"Don't be silly," protested Yami. "I'm a trained horseman." He looked into the animal's deep eyes with respect. "I can handle it."

"But…bareback…"

"Just watch."

Marik obediently backed off as Yami skillfully swung up onto the stallion, grabbing the reins loosely in his hands. For a moment, the pharaoh found himself aware of nothing but the animal as it tensed, reacting to his unwelcome presence. He talked softly to it in words no one else around understood, but it seemed to have a calming effect. The pharaoh turned to flash an "I-told-you-so" grin at his friend when the dark gray blur of a royal housecat sped past the horse's hooves.

Startled, the animal reared, catching Yami by surprise. The pharaoh snatched at the reins and barely caught a hold of them, but the leather snapped in his hands. He tumbled unceremoniously to the ground as his mount bolted, leaving him in a cloud of dust.

Marik glanced quickly about for the offending feline as he rushed to his friend and master's side. It had disappeared, though, and Yami's suppressed groan grabbed his attention. "Are you all right?"

Yami stood up, swaying a little. "I'm fine." He cursed slightly under his breath and put a hand gingerly to his jaw. "I didn't fall well, though."

Marik looked with concern at the purpling bruises on his friend's face and shoulder. "Anything broken?"

"Not sure," said Yami, slightly slurred as he tried moving his sore jaw. "Don't think so."

"Good. Come in inside. The servants can take care of that horse."

They walked slowly toward the shade of the palace, Yami leaning a little on his friend as he tried to stop the world from spinning. They stepped over the threshold and almost knocked into Seto in the reduced light. Marik was muttering to himself about badly trained horses and didn't give the advisor a second glace, but Yami saw the dark gray cat curled comfortably in Ay's arms. Then he heard Seto's voice, quiet though it was. "All it takes is an accident."

"What?" the pharaoh shot a glance at his advisor.

Seto wasn't even looking at him.

"Come on," persisted Marik. "We'll get you cleaned up."

*

The queen was terribly worried after that. "Good leather reins don't come apart by themselves," she declared. "You have to watch yourself more carefully."

Yami winced as a slave washed out his scraped shoulder. "It could have been an accident. No matter what, though, I can't back down now."

"Why not?" she pleaded. "Think of your own safety, by Wadjet!"

"But then Ay will have won!"

"Just get rid of him!"

Yami shook his head. "A woman wouldn't understand. I can't just back out!"

She bit her lip. "I am Ankhesenpaamon, 'She Who Lives Through Amon.' I pray to the gods that you may yet live as well."

The pharaoh gave her a soft smile and left.

*

After that, the pharaoh played less of the shadow games and instead spent more time running the kingdom as much as possible. Needless to say, Ay was now thoroughly irked that his pharaoh was no longer following every order without question. Then came the day they all knew had been approaching.

The pharaoh confronted Ay.

"I have no objections to your advice, but I do request that you allow me to run my own kingdom."

"I have done nothing but serve you," protested Seto.

"Or have you served yourself?" shot back Yami.

"Only you, my phar-"

Yami silenced him with a wave of his hand. "Spare me the rhetoric; just understand that I can stand on my own now." With that, Yami stood and walked deliberately from the room, his back to Ay.

The advisor nodded slightly and left as well, but he did not go to his chambers. Instead, he left the palace and headed directly to the temples of Amon.

Watching Seto leave from her window, Anzu rushed to find her husband, calling Marik to come too. The pharaoh was not in his chambers or the great hall. Out of some uncanny instinct, she descended to the lower prisons. Her search led them down corridor after dank, dark corridor, until she caught a glimpse of golden light spearing through the cracks in the door of one cell. It was a large room, lined with places for unfortunate prisoners, but she knew that it was supposed to currently only hold one prisoner. Now there were two: her willing husband, and the tomb robber held by force.

The queen and Marik burst into the room to see the pharaoh sitting on the floor, six gold items around him and a seventh, a gold inverted pyramid, around his neck. All were glowing.

"He…Ay's gone for the priests!"

Yami's eyes were sad. "I know."

"They'll kill you slowly with the shadow powers! You have to-"

"He'll bring them only for a show of power. It would be too dangerous to directly march in and kill the pharaoh. But they'll never bother me again."

"What?"

"I won't live long as it is," he said softly. "I'm going to seal away the shadow games so that he won't be able to abuse the power once I'm gone. I…" he lowered his eyes "I can't stop him; I'm only a boy still. I'm sorry. But I want to make as much of a difference as I can."

Anzu bit her lip. "Let me help. You can't…you can't do this with only your own energy."

"No. The tomb robber has already agreed to trade a premature death for immortality locked in an item. I don't need any more."

They glanced at the pale-haired boy crouched in a shadowed corner, chains draped around his wrists, ankles, and neck. He shot them a narrow-eyed grin that made the queen shudder. In the distance, they heard the sound of many running feet approaching rapidly.

"Not much time," said Yami tersely. "I thank you for your loyalty, Marik." He then looked gently into his wife's eyes. "Take care of this beloved nation, Ankhesenpaaten…Ankhesenpaamon…"

She nodded tearfully.

"But you will always be Anzu to me."

She swallowed, nearly sobbing as she heard the endearment one last time. The glow around the pharaoh intensified suddenly to a blinding ball of light. The priests burst in with Seto, but they were too late. They watched, unable to do anything, as the inverted pyramid seemed to press against the pharaoh's chest, sucking out his essence and sealing it away. Golden luminosity engulfed the tomb robber as well, vaporizing his chains as it claimed him. A white-hot sphere of soul floated from him, hovered, and then chose to enter the ring.

Then the light was gone. The pharaoh dropped violently and suddenly to the floor, and Anzu winced as she heard his head meet the golden scales on the floor with a crack right where the skull met the spine. Everyone froze involuntarily as they felt a great power vanish suddenly from the air around them. With so many priests present, the air had been saturated with shadow magic but a moment before.

Seto recovered quickly, however, and several priests moved to seize Marik at a motion from him, but the youth slid from their hands. Snatching up the glittering rod on the floor, he pulled the dagger from it in one desperate motion. "I serve only one pharaoh for now and in the afterlife," he declared. Shooting a look of hatred at Ay, he plunged the blade into his chest. It glowed faintly for a moment, and then returned to normal.

The now-widowed queen took the dagger from him as he slid to the ground, but Seto caught her wrist in an iron grip. "I don't think so," he said softly.

"Unhand me!" she demanded as he firmly took the weapon from her.

He smiled slightly. "Oh no, Your Majesty. You'll have a different purpose. You see, now that I'll be pharaoh of all of Egypt, I'll need a way to assure my sovereignty."

Ankhesenpaamon's eyes widened in disgust. "You're not serious! Marriage? To you??"

"Perfectly serious, my Queen," he said with a cold glint in his eyes. "I do not jest. Keep in mind, though, that love has nothing at all to do with this." His gaze turned to the three bodies on the floor. Marik lay in his own blood, the bladed rod at his side. Seto nudged the item with his foot and frowned. "He's tainted it, binding some of his spirit to the item. It's useless to me now. Take the bodies away for burial, and give the pharaoh a proper embalming and funeral. We must still show our respect. The items shall be buried elsewhere."

Ankhesenpaamon watched as slaves came and lifted the body of her husband. He still had bruises on his jaw from his fall from the horse in addition to the marks on his chest where the puzzle had pressed. A little blood seeped through his hair where his head had hit the scales.

But still his chest rose and fell softly with shallow breaths. Seto seemed to notice at the same instant the queen did. "He lives! Even without his soul, his body refuses to die." He glanced at the tomb robber's limp form in the corner and suddenly drew a dagger from the folds of his robe. With one smooth motion, he flung the blade; it buried itself smoothly in the thief's throat, shoving the limp body against the wall with its force. Ay looked annoyingly satisfied. "Well, there's one who won't be lying around soulless but alive."

Ankhesenpaamon glared at the vizier's turned back with what was almost hatred. I hope you find out someday what it's like to be soulless yet alive. And I bet you won't give it up willingly, either.

He turned to the pharaoh next, but did not move. "I cannot kill the pharaoh, divine as he is." The Queen thought she caught a tinge of sarcasm in his voice. "Without a conscious body, though, he'll eventually die. We shall keep the body until then."

*

The pharaoh lingered for about a month and breathed his last with Ankhesenpaamon at his side. It was Ay, however, who presided over the burial rites.

"Shave his head," Ay commanded as the priests took the body for burial. "There will be no memory of his love of the shadow games."

Ankhesenpaamon gasped. "But…then how will his spirit find his body again if it looks so different!?"

"You forget he has no spirit anymore. It is sealed in that accursed puzzle, just like the tomb robber's." He turned to the priests. "Make sure his name is chiseled off of any carvings of his playing the games and bury those as well. The other carvings and statues in which he looks" Seto paused, searching for a word "normal, may be left intact. We shall still bury him as a pharaoh."

"Let him…let him be buried under his birth name," pleaded Ankhesenpaamon, trying in vain to salvage something of emotional value for her husband's ka [soul, essence].

Seto shook his head. "No. That would not be proper. He shall be remembered by posterity by his royal name: not Tutankhaten, but Tutankhamon."

~~~

Ay became pharaoh after Tutankhamon, sealing his claim on the power by marrying the royal widow Ankhesenaamon. (His reign lasted only a few years, though, and the military general Horemheb succeeded him.) As ordered, the carvings of the shadow games were either defaced beyond recognition or buried in secret locations. (The only known surviving tablets can be found in the Isis Ishtar Collection, touring Japan as of June 1999.) The body of the pharaoh was interred in the Valley of the Kings until discovered by Howard Carter in 1922. It now rests once again in its proper tomb. Since then, Tutankhamon has become one of the most well known pharaohs mostly because his tomb was virtually untouched by thieves. His shadow realm connections, however, remain mostly forgotten.

Rumors on the Internet also claim that the pharaoh has been seen on occasion in the city of Domino, Japan, often in the company of his wife Ankhesenpaamon. Unfortunately, the rumors also state that the pharaoh wears black leather and accessories on the verge of punk jewelry while his queen habitually sports miniskirts and tight T-shirts. Such claims render these reports completely implausible.

Owari