The Archmagus Pharaoh
By Cybra
A/N: Just thought I'd write up the next chapter. I've got lots of ideas. Now where's the time I need to write them?! Ancient Egyptian terminology will be translated at the bottom. Also, a few ancient Egyptian concepts will be explained at the bottom. (Thank you, National Gallery of Art, for having that Ancient Egypt exhibit a while back! Without it, I never would have gotten such great research material!)
Disclaimer: Yami, the Duel Monsters, Heishin, and other characters that you'd see in the Yu-Gi-Oh! series or video games do not belong to me. All original characters are mine! All mine! And I'm not sharing unless you ask!
Chapter 2: Freed Mage Potential
To the Duel Monsters, the years passed by quickly. In the blink of an eye, the young Prince Yami turned four. Even at such a young age Yami seemed quite a bit more serious than most would have expected a child his age to be, but this was understandable considering the Heir to the throne's lack of friends…
…not to mention one of his older lesser-wife-born half-siblings.
Khyan had been the next in line for the throne until Yami was born, and both he and his mother were very, very displeased. Now at the age of twelve, mature enough to realize exactly what he had missed out on, he never let his younger, great-royal-wife-born half-brother have a moment's peace if he could get away with it. And if he ever was caught and Merytre heard about her son's misdeeds, she gave him a reasonably mild lecture then sent him off. After all, she, too, lost much when Yami was born. Being the mother of the Heir had its perks even if you weren't the Queen.
On the highly rare occasions when Dark Magician and the other Duel Monsters were allowed to roam the halls of the palace in order to serve the Pharaoh, the dark mage would often observe the young Prince. It was during one of these brief visits when his mage sight noticed the great potential inside Yami, untapped latent talent that surpassed even the Archmagus Heishin's trained power.
Despite Dark Magician's insistence, the Pharaoh refused to let Yami be trained, saying that the boy was too young. The Pharaoh himself had his relatively strong mage powers (though still far inferior to the Archmagus') trained beginning at age seven without any problems. Why should his son have any?
"Prince Yami is a disaster waiting to happen," Dark Magician told his female counterpart one day as they sat at his kitchen table in his home. "All that untamed magic seems to have been…content…to lie dormant thus far, but with enough impetus…" The mage shook his head.
Dark Magician Girl frowned deeply as the other female at the table bowed her head over her teacup.
Mystical Elf inquired, "How strong do you think his magic is?"
"More than strong enough to arouse worry. Once trained, he will be more than strong enough to overpower Heishin in a mage's duel if Heishin doesn't try and use any of his old tricks." At the two female Duel Monsters' mirrored looks of surprise, Dark Magician continued, "And I don't trust the Archmagus to train Prince Yami."
Although normally bright and cheerful, Dark Magician Girl commented dryly, "Heishin's not about to train competition. He's got himself a nice cushy job in which even the Pharaoh has to bow to his will. If Prince Yami surpasses his skill and becomes Archmagus and then becomes Pharaoh, not only will Egypt not have to have Heishin's demands hanging over their heads but Heishin loses his power over all the other mages."
"Precisely."
For thousands of years, the Pharaohs of Egypt had to obey only one mortal's demands: the Archmagus. Some of these Archmagi didn't abuse their power, content to simply advise the current Pharaoh and serve the gods. Many abused their power, forcing demands upon the Pharaohs that bled down to more demands on the people.
Then one Pharaoh whose name was lost in the mists of time came up with an idea to breed magical ability into the royal line. If a Pharaoh also became Archmagus, that effectively would strengthen the power of the Pharaoh so that no mage could challenge him. According to a careful record of the bloodlines, this "Archmagus Pharaoh" should have been another two generations into the future. Perhaps Queen Nefertari had hidden mage potential in her bloodline that no one, not even her own family, knew about.
"So what do we do?" Mystical Elf demanded suddenly, blue eyes blazing. "The Pharaoh's too stubborn to have him trained yet anyway. Do we just wait for his magic to finally break free?"
"Unfortunately," Dark Magician Girl grimly agreed, "and hope that when it does break lose, it doesn't cause too much damage."
~@~
The Duel Monsters didn't have too long to wait for Prince Yami's first display of untrained magic, and when it came, it frightened those witnessing it nearly to death.
Prince Yami – or "Yami" as he preferred to be called even though no one seemed to listen to that request – slipped the golden manacle onto his left wrist and gazed into the polished mirror at his reflection. Even at age four anyone could see the first signs of the striking young man he would become. His eyes already held that distinctive Egyptian slant to them, making their sanguine color appear more than slightly menacing. His tri-colored hair silently heralded who he was to the world for no one could mistake him for anyone other than the Heir to the throne of Egypt.
"Prince Yami," a slave called from outside his door, "it is time for the gathering. Your father requests your presence."
Yami sighed to himself. Another royal soiree for dignitaries from another country that his father would ultimately duel in the Shadow Realm. Why did he even have to be there?
'Because you're the Heir,' some part of Yami's mind reminded him, 'and your father has to show you off.'
Sighing once more, the Prince exited his room, following the slave with his head studying the well-polished floor. He studied the slave's reflection, noticing a few fresh scars on the back of the slave's neck. There most likely were a few new scars on the slave's back as well. Though slaves were generally treated fairly well in Egypt considering the fact that they were primarily considered property, some masters could be rather harsh.
"Are you okay, Pepy?" the young Prince asked quietly. "Those scars look new."
The slave turned his head to gape at the young Prince. Though they treated their slaves well, the Pharaoh and Queen didn't know the names of their slaves nor did they truly notice what their slaves looked like. The Prince, not seeming to notice the slave's open-mouth stare at him, continued his study of the floor as they walked.
"I am fine, Highness," Pepy responded slowly. "I was only mildly punished for upsetting one of the councilmen."
The Prince flinched twice, first at the mention of the word "Highness" and second at the mention of the councilmen. He didn't like most of his father's councilmen, particularly Archmagus Heishin. For some strange reason, he always had a twisted feeling in his stomach while around the Archmagus and never wanted the most powerful mage's eyes on him for long. Fortunately, the mighty mage never gave the Heir more than a cursory glance.
The rest of the walk passed in silence as the slave glanced occasionally at the young Prince. He felt a bit sorry for Yami. Even though the Prince should have had everything he wanted, Yami lacked the simplest things: like parental affection. Not even the Queen had much time to spare for her son, and Pharaoh Sebek treated his son more like the Heir than like his own flesh and blood.
Nodding his thanks, Yami entered the hall, eyes quickly adjusting to the mage-lights that lit the room in a steady glow. Thanks to his tutors, the boy noticed the not-too-subtle show of power in the mage-lights. The Pharaoh had told his guests "I am very powerful, and you had better think twice before challenging me" without saying a word.
The hall, richly decorated with gold and precious stones, also displayed the power and wealth of the reigning Pharaoh. This would leave a lasting impression on the dignitaries or the rulers they represented who were too weak to duel the mighty Pharaoh Sebek. The remaining dignitaries or the rulers they represented might be foolhardy enough to try, but they would ultimately lose. Nobody won against the Pharaoh.
By now much of the finer red irep1 had been served to the guests. Some of the guests had already overindulged in the rich flavor, forgetting their various missions in the heat of the moment. Doubtless some of them would be seeking a prostitute or perhaps a pleasure slave's company that night.
The young Prince declined a cup of the intoxicating liquid, choosing instead a small goblet of cool fruit juice. Dutifully, he took his place next to the Pharaoh, nodding in greeting to all who introduced themselves to his father and him. This went on for about an hour before the introductions were completed, and he was "free" to wander the gathering.
Nibbling on a date, he ducked out onto the balcony, letting the breeze off of the desert tug at his hair and clothing. He gazed out over Thebes, secretly longing to be outside the palace walls. Perhaps he could slip away tomorrow while everyone was recovering from the irep…
Mere moments later, Councilman Djoser staggered onto the balcony, belching loudly. As he swayed, white irep splashed out of the large goblet in his enormous hand, forcing Yami to step out of the way to avoid getting the liquid on him. The councilman continued to sway even when he leaned against the low wall as Yami was.
Instinctively, the Heir tensed. Something within him began to stir at his fear. "Councilman, are you ill?"
Djoser turned his head to stare sightlessly at the Heir to the Egyptian throne. Due to his drunkenness, he didn't see the boy who would grow up to be the next Pharaoh. Instead, he saw the pretty young boy that was all alone and waiting to be taken. He dropped his goblet and, with surprisingly quick movements for someone so inebriated, grabbed Yami.
The young Prince's crimson eyes widened in terror as the something within him began to awaken even more. "Councilman!"
"C'mere, you pretty little thing…" the drunken man hiccuped. "You an' me'll share a bed tonight…"
The councilman pulled Yami close to him, locking irep-flavored lips with those that had tasted only fruit juice. Shocked, the Heir dropped his own goblet.
'By the gods! It's almost like the story of Horus and Seth! Only Seth knew exactly what he was doing to Horus!' Yami thought with morbid fascination.
Now petrified, the boy could do nothing as Djoser began to run his hands along his back.
But his fear didn't last for long.
The moment his lips were free for the councilman to take a breath, Yami held up his hands to the man's chest and shouted, "Get off of me!"
The something inside of the Prince unleashed itself, flying through his body and into his hands, making them glow with power. Unprepared for this, the councilman's grip loosened, and the power heaved the far larger man off. Djoser landed several feet away, nearly falling off the balcony.
In short, all hell broke lose.
~@~
At the first stirrings of newly unleashed magic, Dark Magician's head snapped up. He along with Dark Magician Girl and Celtic Guardian had been summoned to make sure no one would try anything dangerous that night. Still, it didn't mean that he had to enjoy it.
The dark mage turned to his female counterpart. She was already starting to move towards the balcony.
"Dark Magician Girl?" the Pharaoh, words a little slurred from a bit too much irep, questioned.
"My Pharaoh, we must take care of a situation," Dark Magician answered, moving forward and soon matching his counterpart stride for stride.
Celtic Guardian met up with them on the way. "What is it?"
"Trouble. The Prince's magic is about to get loose."
The elfin warrior hissed through his teeth and hurried onward, hastily pushing people aside to let the dark mages pass. He knew from what the magician Duel Monsters had told him about untrained magic what that could possibly mean.
They almost reached the balcony when they heard the Heir shout, "Get off of me!"
A flash of brilliant light, and a body flew through the air, surprising everyone into turning to face the drama. The Heir himself raced into the room, his power nearly blinding Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl's mage sight. In his panic to escape, bolts of energy crackled and snapped at whoever came too close. Several people screamed in fear, one of the guards instinctively rushed forward to protect the Prince but was rewarded by a random bolt in the chest knocking him off his feet. Fortunately, the bolt hadn't been that powerful so the guard was mostly unharmed.
"Everyone, back up!" Celtic Guardian barked in a tone that dared anyone to disobey.
Humans hurried to obey the Duel Monster, falling mostly silent except for a few occasional whimpers of fear. One inebriated dignitary curled up in the corner and sobbed quietly, hiccuping and begging the gods for mercy. It would've been funny if the situation wasn't so serious.
Poor Yami took a few steps forward, then backward. The experience with Djoser played over and over in his head. The taste of the drunken man's lips still lingered on his own, making him want to vomit. He wanted to hug a pillow or something and hide.
Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl, not wishing to further terrify their future master, approached slowly. They needed to place him under a shield, possibly place him under a sleep spell. A little rest would work wonders especially since his head would certainly ache tomorrow.
"We need to calm him down somehow," Dark Magician murmured to his partner.
"But how?"
A familiar cooing noise penetrated the near silence.
Yami tensed for a moment before he relaxed, looking down to see something small and furry nuzzling his leg. "Kuriboh…"
Pharaoh Sebek never took the small creature seriously. After all, Kuriboh was the weakest Duel Monster in the game. He didn't use the little ball of fur unless he absolutely had to, and he only used Kuriboh in defense position.
So why was Kuriboh at the gathering? Someone had to have summoned him.
Yami fell to his knees and wrapped his arms around the small Duel Monster, quaking with fear, burying his face in the fur. Soothingly, Kuriboh cooed and trilled.
Slowly, carefully, Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl placed a shield around Yami and his magic. They even managed to slip a sleep spell onto him and didn't approach until his breathing evened out as he fell asleep. So they didn't awaken the Prince, Dark Magician Girl gently pulled Kuriboh from Yami's grasp as Celtic Guardian came forward to pick up the young Prince.
Dark Magician quietly questioned, "Kuriboh, how did you get here?"
"Prince Yami was scared and called," Kuriboh trilled in a language only the other Duel Monsters could understand. "I came."
Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl swapped surprised looks. Somehow, Yami had managed to summon a Duel Monster, a skill that should have taken weeks to learn.
"A fluke?" the female mage asked, whispering.
"From what you two have told me, the Prince is a fluke," Celtic Guardian mumbled. "But if my opinion means anything, I don't think Prince Yami knew what he was doing when he 'called' Kuriboh."
"I concur," Dark Magician Girl's counterpart stated, also whispering. "He probably won't be able to repeat it unless he's frightened enough or until he's been properly trained."
"I'll take the Prince to his room for some rest," Celtic Guardian announced just loud enough for other people to hear. Then he muttered, "And I think this time when you talk to the Pharaoh about having the boy trained, the Pharaoh's going to listen."
Ancient Egyptian Terms
1irep – wine
Ancient Egyptian Concepts/Facts
Queens: The Pharaoh had many wives, a primary wife called the "great royal wife" (hemet nesw weret), "the king's mother" (mwt nesw), and the "king's wives" (hemwt nesw). The "great royal wife" fits our definition of "queen" the best since she was second only to the Pharaoh in terms in politics and religious things, and she's the one often represented next to the Pharaoh on monuments. The "mother of the king" was also important in the royal family and also was often depicted on monuments with the Pharaoh. The "king's wives" are the other people the Pharaoh married, his lesser wives and they would have resided in the harim. (No, that's not misspelled. That's their version of "harem".).
Slaves: Slaves were generally well treated in Ancient Egypt. Both male and female owners could free their slaves, and it was possible for slaves to marry free-born women and even own land. Some slaves seemed to have owned property. Also, owning slaves wasn't the exclusive right of the elite.
