"Are you saying that there is a revolt in Lower Nubia?" The herald flinched
at the Pharaoh's harsh tone.
"Yes, Pharaoh. Our spies have given word of several groups of rebels near Soleb."
"This is insane!" Atemu paced back and forth, his golden bangs shadowing his face.
"Why would Soleb revolt against us? My father signed a treaty twenty years ago!"
"If it is of any importance Pharaoh," the herald said. "My sources have said that the mutiny has been going on for several years."
"But why? What would Soleb gain by turning against us? Unless –" He looked up in a start at the herald.
"Bring the High Priest! And my commander. They need to know something."
"Yes, Pharaoh." The herald scuttled out of the room and returned minutes later with Seto and Jou.
"What is it Atemu? Do you have information for us?" Seto watched his cousin intently.
Atemu sat down heavily on a chair and put his head in his hands. His face was drawn and tired.
So much had happened after he had been shot by the arrow. Atemu didn't know how much longer he could stand everything.
"Yes." He said, looking at Seto and Jou. "I do. Three years ago my father gave me this."
Atemu gestured to the Millennium Puzzle around his neck. "I know that, but what does that have to do with the rebellion in Soleb?"
"Just listen Seto." Atemu said tiredly. "You'll understand soon enough." He looked up at Seto, his amethyst eyes pained.
"He told me he was afraid of their power. I never thought my father could be afraid of anything."
Jou listened, surprised. He had never known much about the Millennium items.
"Seto. You know about the slaughter at Kurelna, don't you?" Atemu turned to his cousin.
"How could I not?" Seto said through gritted teeth, a scowl on his face.
"My father murdered 99 people. And for what? Seven items that can destroy our entire world."
"Yes. Unknown to most, one other person escaped the sacrifice that night. Ryad Cirintroth."
"Hold it." Jou interrupted. "Are you telling me that some freaky psycho is running around out there?"
"Yes Jou. That is exactly what I'm saying. Ryad wanted revenge on my father for what Akunadin did to his village."
Seto bristled at this. "Stop discriminating against my father 'Pharaoh'." He said the last word sarcastically.
"I'm not discriminating against anyone, Seto. All I'm saying is that my father was wrongly accused for something he didn't do."
"And you're prejudicing my father because of it!?" Seto shouted at Atemu irately.
"Well someone has to take the blame!" Atemu shouted back.
"Whoa, guys, calm down. There's no need to get unreasonable now is there?" Jou pleaded at them.
"Tell that to him. He's the unreasonable one." Seto grumbled.
"Are you going to listen or not?" Atemu demanded. "Fine." Seto said. Atemu continued with his story.
"When Ryad attempted to overthrow my father with a small band of rebels my father exiled him to Soleb."
"And you think he's the one who killed the harem girls and tried to kill you?" Seto said, eyes narrowed.
"I believe so. I certainly wouldn't put it past him." Atemu ignored his cousin's glare.
"If this information is correct," Seto said. "Then we would need to get rid of Ryad as soon as possible."
Atemu sighed. "It's not that easy. I checked with our spies. They say he has at least forty thousand men in Soleb. And at least half that many scattered around Egypt."
Jou gulped. "Uh, let's see," he said, counting in his head. "Half of forty thousand is twenty thousand, which makes...sixty thousand!"
He turned to Atemu. "And most of my men are out fighting bandits in the desert!" Seto chuckled at the fear in Jou's eyes.
"Relax, Jou. We may not have that many soldiers, but we have the most experienced mages in the country. Not to mention the Millennium Items."
"Yeah, but..." Jou looked at Atemu. "Wouldn't the magic needed to take out a number of men that large have to be made with a sacrifice or something?"
"Yes Jou." Atemu said softly. "And I want no repeats of the disaster at Kurelna. This sacrifice will be of only one person."
"You're not thinking of..." Jou trailed off. Atemu nodded, smiling a little. "I am."
"No! You can't do that! It's not fair! There has to be some other way."
"There isn't." Seto looked at his cousin, a brief flash of sadness in his eyes.
"Good decision, Pharaoh. You're the only one with enough energy to complete the ritual successfully."
"What?!" Jou cried, alarmed. "How can you agree with him? Would someone please make him see sense?"
"It is no use, Jou." Isis appeared in the doorway and placed a hand upon Jou's shoulder.
"The Pharaoh has made his decision. You cannot change it, no matter how hard you try."
Jou shook his head sadly. "I just don't get it..." He said quietly. "Jou." He looked up.
Atemu looked him directly in the eye. "I need you to gather the men you have. Get Ryad's soldiers as far away from him as possible."
Jou nodded silently. "I trust you can announce this to my people Seto?" Atemu turned to his cousin.
"After all, you are next in line for the throne." Seto nodded. "I will tell them the day after. That way we can start the funerary preparations early."
"How can everyone be so calm about this?" Jou finally exploded. "My best friend is about to die because he wants to, and no-one seems to care!"
Atemu walked over to Jou and placed his hand on his friend's shoulder.
"It's not that no-one cares, Jou. It's because they care that they can do this." Atemu paused.
"And you can too. Be strong for your people, Jou. Now if you excuse me, I have preparations to be made."
With a brief nod to Isis, Atemu left.
*
Jou had already talked to all of his men in the barracks. He had also talked to Shinzuka, who had burst into tears as soon as he told her.
Now he found Alaya sharpening the points of her arrows behind the blacksmith's tent.
He had heard from Seto that she was the scariest woman in the entire universe. Even scarier than Isis.
Approaching her nervously, Jou cleared his throat. Alaya looked up. "Oh it's you. What is it?" She said, bored of their conversation already.
"Um, I'm supposed to tell you that there's a revolt in Soleb." Alaya looked up, interested.
"To make a long story short, the Pharaoh is going to sacrifice himself so he can get rid of an evil man and our soldiers need to get all of his soldiers away from him."
Alaya nodded. "Sounds like a good plan. Atemu's intelligent."
"Argh!" Jou cried. "You've been his friend since he was young and you're not concerned! Am I the only sane one here?"
Alaya laughed. "I doubt you even come close to being in the category of sane."
"Oh thanks. Anyway, are you going to fight with us?" Jou asked her.
"It'd be my pleasure." Alaya said, sharpening her bronze arrow heads and grinning cruelly.
"Eek. Seto was right. You really are scary." Alaya laughed again. "Only when I want to be, Jou."
She looked up at the clouded sky. The wet season was almost over. "Still, black clouds are coming."
"And what does that means?" Jou asked, confused by her cryptic remark.
"It means there'll be bloodshed tomorrow. But hat's only to be expected. We're going to war."
*
Okay, I know this probably confusing for those who haven't seen the end of the anime series or read the last manga.
But I've tried to explain it in the most un-confusing way possible.
The ending of this story is in sight! Yay! Probably only one or two more chapters.
But I might make a sequel. I have an idea for one. Tell me what you think.
Also, the ending is purely fictional, not going along with the end of the actual anime.
So don't get confused. Hope you liked this chapter!
"Yes, Pharaoh. Our spies have given word of several groups of rebels near Soleb."
"This is insane!" Atemu paced back and forth, his golden bangs shadowing his face.
"Why would Soleb revolt against us? My father signed a treaty twenty years ago!"
"If it is of any importance Pharaoh," the herald said. "My sources have said that the mutiny has been going on for several years."
"But why? What would Soleb gain by turning against us? Unless –" He looked up in a start at the herald.
"Bring the High Priest! And my commander. They need to know something."
"Yes, Pharaoh." The herald scuttled out of the room and returned minutes later with Seto and Jou.
"What is it Atemu? Do you have information for us?" Seto watched his cousin intently.
Atemu sat down heavily on a chair and put his head in his hands. His face was drawn and tired.
So much had happened after he had been shot by the arrow. Atemu didn't know how much longer he could stand everything.
"Yes." He said, looking at Seto and Jou. "I do. Three years ago my father gave me this."
Atemu gestured to the Millennium Puzzle around his neck. "I know that, but what does that have to do with the rebellion in Soleb?"
"Just listen Seto." Atemu said tiredly. "You'll understand soon enough." He looked up at Seto, his amethyst eyes pained.
"He told me he was afraid of their power. I never thought my father could be afraid of anything."
Jou listened, surprised. He had never known much about the Millennium items.
"Seto. You know about the slaughter at Kurelna, don't you?" Atemu turned to his cousin.
"How could I not?" Seto said through gritted teeth, a scowl on his face.
"My father murdered 99 people. And for what? Seven items that can destroy our entire world."
"Yes. Unknown to most, one other person escaped the sacrifice that night. Ryad Cirintroth."
"Hold it." Jou interrupted. "Are you telling me that some freaky psycho is running around out there?"
"Yes Jou. That is exactly what I'm saying. Ryad wanted revenge on my father for what Akunadin did to his village."
Seto bristled at this. "Stop discriminating against my father 'Pharaoh'." He said the last word sarcastically.
"I'm not discriminating against anyone, Seto. All I'm saying is that my father was wrongly accused for something he didn't do."
"And you're prejudicing my father because of it!?" Seto shouted at Atemu irately.
"Well someone has to take the blame!" Atemu shouted back.
"Whoa, guys, calm down. There's no need to get unreasonable now is there?" Jou pleaded at them.
"Tell that to him. He's the unreasonable one." Seto grumbled.
"Are you going to listen or not?" Atemu demanded. "Fine." Seto said. Atemu continued with his story.
"When Ryad attempted to overthrow my father with a small band of rebels my father exiled him to Soleb."
"And you think he's the one who killed the harem girls and tried to kill you?" Seto said, eyes narrowed.
"I believe so. I certainly wouldn't put it past him." Atemu ignored his cousin's glare.
"If this information is correct," Seto said. "Then we would need to get rid of Ryad as soon as possible."
Atemu sighed. "It's not that easy. I checked with our spies. They say he has at least forty thousand men in Soleb. And at least half that many scattered around Egypt."
Jou gulped. "Uh, let's see," he said, counting in his head. "Half of forty thousand is twenty thousand, which makes...sixty thousand!"
He turned to Atemu. "And most of my men are out fighting bandits in the desert!" Seto chuckled at the fear in Jou's eyes.
"Relax, Jou. We may not have that many soldiers, but we have the most experienced mages in the country. Not to mention the Millennium Items."
"Yeah, but..." Jou looked at Atemu. "Wouldn't the magic needed to take out a number of men that large have to be made with a sacrifice or something?"
"Yes Jou." Atemu said softly. "And I want no repeats of the disaster at Kurelna. This sacrifice will be of only one person."
"You're not thinking of..." Jou trailed off. Atemu nodded, smiling a little. "I am."
"No! You can't do that! It's not fair! There has to be some other way."
"There isn't." Seto looked at his cousin, a brief flash of sadness in his eyes.
"Good decision, Pharaoh. You're the only one with enough energy to complete the ritual successfully."
"What?!" Jou cried, alarmed. "How can you agree with him? Would someone please make him see sense?"
"It is no use, Jou." Isis appeared in the doorway and placed a hand upon Jou's shoulder.
"The Pharaoh has made his decision. You cannot change it, no matter how hard you try."
Jou shook his head sadly. "I just don't get it..." He said quietly. "Jou." He looked up.
Atemu looked him directly in the eye. "I need you to gather the men you have. Get Ryad's soldiers as far away from him as possible."
Jou nodded silently. "I trust you can announce this to my people Seto?" Atemu turned to his cousin.
"After all, you are next in line for the throne." Seto nodded. "I will tell them the day after. That way we can start the funerary preparations early."
"How can everyone be so calm about this?" Jou finally exploded. "My best friend is about to die because he wants to, and no-one seems to care!"
Atemu walked over to Jou and placed his hand on his friend's shoulder.
"It's not that no-one cares, Jou. It's because they care that they can do this." Atemu paused.
"And you can too. Be strong for your people, Jou. Now if you excuse me, I have preparations to be made."
With a brief nod to Isis, Atemu left.
*
Jou had already talked to all of his men in the barracks. He had also talked to Shinzuka, who had burst into tears as soon as he told her.
Now he found Alaya sharpening the points of her arrows behind the blacksmith's tent.
He had heard from Seto that she was the scariest woman in the entire universe. Even scarier than Isis.
Approaching her nervously, Jou cleared his throat. Alaya looked up. "Oh it's you. What is it?" She said, bored of their conversation already.
"Um, I'm supposed to tell you that there's a revolt in Soleb." Alaya looked up, interested.
"To make a long story short, the Pharaoh is going to sacrifice himself so he can get rid of an evil man and our soldiers need to get all of his soldiers away from him."
Alaya nodded. "Sounds like a good plan. Atemu's intelligent."
"Argh!" Jou cried. "You've been his friend since he was young and you're not concerned! Am I the only sane one here?"
Alaya laughed. "I doubt you even come close to being in the category of sane."
"Oh thanks. Anyway, are you going to fight with us?" Jou asked her.
"It'd be my pleasure." Alaya said, sharpening her bronze arrow heads and grinning cruelly.
"Eek. Seto was right. You really are scary." Alaya laughed again. "Only when I want to be, Jou."
She looked up at the clouded sky. The wet season was almost over. "Still, black clouds are coming."
"And what does that means?" Jou asked, confused by her cryptic remark.
"It means there'll be bloodshed tomorrow. But hat's only to be expected. We're going to war."
*
Okay, I know this probably confusing for those who haven't seen the end of the anime series or read the last manga.
But I've tried to explain it in the most un-confusing way possible.
The ending of this story is in sight! Yay! Probably only one or two more chapters.
But I might make a sequel. I have an idea for one. Tell me what you think.
Also, the ending is purely fictional, not going along with the end of the actual anime.
So don't get confused. Hope you liked this chapter!