WHEN MEMORIES WOULD NEVER BE ENOUGH
Atemu opened his heart, pouring his feelings with a kiss that he now initiated. His heart pounded, throwing all caution to the wind through that kiss and taking the risk that Xandra might not feel the same. However, to him, a rejection was much better than living a life of regret of not letting her know his true feelings.
After withdrawing himself from passionately kissing his wife and Queen, Atemu murmured as he touched her face, "I love you very much, Xandra. I tell you not to go because I do not want you to get hurt. What I need to know from you now is this - do you feel the same way that I do for you?"
Xandra's response to Atemu's question was a deep lingering kiss that had more warmth and longing than the one the two shared before. She closed her eyes as they passionately kissed and affectionately embraced each other.
After they have kissed and the two sheepishly withdrew from each other, Atemu then gazed into Xandra's hazel-brown eyes and asked her, "Since when?"
Knowing that Atemu was referring to her feelings for him, Xandra replied, "I have felt the same way for a long time. I did not want you to get hurt, either. That is why I am begging you not to go."
As the Pharaoh escorted Xandra and motioned her to sit beside him on the steps before the throne, he inquired as he held her hand, "Do you know that I felt this way about you for a couple of years now? Why did you not tell me about your feelings before?"
Xandra sighed, affectionately tightening her hold of Atemu's hand. "We were betrothed since childhood, so I considered our marriage to be more for duty rather than love. As the years passed, however, my perception about our union has changed. I wanted to remain your wife and Queen because I love you more than a sibling and a friend. I want you to be happy, and I do not want to hinder your happiness in case-"
"That I fall in love with someone else...or in love with someone else?" With his interest piqued, Atemu asked, "I thought that you love me?"
"I do. So if your happiness and love is not with me, then I will not stand your way because I love you. It sounds crazy, but love does crazy things to people."
With a gentle grin, Atemu interjected, "But you were afraid all this time that I did not feel the same way about you, am I correct? We promised to be honest with each other the day before we were married, remember that?"
Xandra quietly nodded. "Yes, I know. I was afraid of a lot of things about us. I did not want to ruin what you and I have built together. I wanted more than that, but I was scared. So close, and yet so far..."
After a relieved sigh, Atemu then said, "You and I have gone through so much, and yet did not know that we were afraid of the very same thing. We held back from each other. We now know that we love each other the same way. Why do we not start today the way that it was meant to be from the beginning? You know what today is, right...?"
"Our anniversary. Our sixth-year anniversary. How could I forget?"
"It sure is..."
The young Queen's eyes widened as the Pharaoh fished inside his pockets and produced a ring that had the same ornate handiwork as her pendant, the Crest of Atlantis.
Atemu said with a smile as he gently slipped the ring on Xandra' s left finger. "Happy Anniversary, my love. I have this especially made for you, not only as a symbol of unity between our kingdoms but also as a sign that we love each other and our people."
"I have your gift in our bedchambers, so you will have to wait for tonight to open your present." Holding her breath once more as she looked at the ring on her finger, Xandra then remarked, "This gift of yours will be my treasure. Thank you, my love..."
After Atemu had given her an understanding smile and they have passionately kissed once more, they held hands as they faced each other.
"Just when we find out how we feel for each other, something this disastrous has to come between us. The Fates are truly at work here," Xandra muttered with a disappointed smirk on her face. "However, my love, that does not change our predicament. We need to divide our forces. I humbly propose for me to investigate the massacre while you prepare our military for a potential invasion."
The now-relenting and equally disappointed Pharaoh said, "I am still uneasy about this proposal of yours. Promise me that you will bring a good amount of troops with you. Come to think of it, please take one of our high priest with you."
With a partially raised eyebrow, Xandra inquired, "Who do you have in mind?"
"Our newest high priest, Set, will accompany you," replied Atemu without hesitation.
"You are practicing your negotiation skills on me, are you not?" asked Xandra with a knowing smirk. "However, the compromise between us is acceptable. In exchange for your blessing, I will inform Set and some of our troops that we would be leaving immediately. At least one of our trusted best friends will accompany me, so you would feel more at ease."
"Please be careful. Promise me that much." Atemu then tightened his hold of Xandra's hand. "I could not fathom what I would do if any harm ever befell you, and that was before I knew how you felt for me. Now, my desire to protect you and keep you safe has greatly increased now that I know what my true place is with you."
"The same goes with you, Atemu," was Xandra's reply as she kissed Atemu on the cheek. "I will be home by nightfall. I will be safe. I promise you."
The couple then smiled at each other, walked out from the throne room, and went their separate ways - Atemu with Shimon and some of his guards, and Xandra with the other half of their personal sentries.
As the young Pharaoh strolled back to his bedchambers with Shimon, the elderly counselor remarked, "I see that you have finally garnered the courage to tell her."
Glancing sideways, Atemu murmured with a slightly raised eyebrow, "I have no clue as to what you are talking about. I also have never shared with you - or anyone - my thoughts regarding matters outside the kingdom."
Seeing that his young charge was absent-mindedly grinning, Shimon interjected, "You may be a good war and game strategist, but you could not fool me. From what it seems on the surface, it shows that you have received the answer that you were hoping for from her. I am happy for both of you."
With his customary smirk, the young man said in sheepish admittance, "Nothing escapes your watchful eye, does it?"
As the counselor gave the young monarch a friendly pat on the back, Shimon then replied, "I know you very well, young Pharaoh. When it comes to matters of the heart, nothing ever escapes an old man..."
Before noon, Set and Xandra's party arrived at the fated site.
Leaving their chariots at the town square, Set then barked, "Separate by groups of six. The twelve that I have handpicked earlier will stay with the Queen and me. Each group has one hour to comb for any survivors or evidence. If your group has nothing to report, then join us at the town tavern."
"Yes, my Lord," said the troops in unison. Immediately thereafter, the soldiers organized into groups and dispersed throughout town in chariots.
"Where would you like to start our search, my Queen?" asked the high priest as the handful of loyal soldier stood behind him.
With a somber look on her face, Xandra murmured, "Let us go to the site where the soldiers saw the notes written in blood. I would rather walk than take the chariot."
Set nodded as he and Xandra followed the military commander that reported the massacre.
Throughout the entire walk, everyone's eyes scanned the perimeter. Everyone in the group respectively shuddered, for their memory of how lively the town once was would be forever altered by the deathly silence and the smell of blood. As they came closer to the center of the genocide, countless and bloody body parts were scattered.
The Queen bit her lip hard and shed silent tears. She recognized that some of those parts belonged to children much younger than she was when Egypt became her second home. The high priest, on the other hand, kept his composed facade even though his chest heaved from the horror around them.
One hour had already passed. With nothing to report, the smaller groups then joined Set's troops.
As they passed through more bodies, Set and Xandra's respective sadness slowly but surely converted into deep-rooted hatred.
Pointing at the town tavern, the military commander yelled, "There it is!"
Xandra sprinted - with Set a few feet behind her and the soldiers following suit. She ran inside and stood at the middle of the tavern - the carnage inside was being the goriest that they have ever seen since they scouted the town.
Xandra's eyes frantically scanned the surroundings.
In plain view was the writing in blood that was earlier reported to Atemu. All of them were stupefied - most especially Xandra.
While gaping at the writing, Xandra held her breath as she told the high priest, "You and half of our troops must return to the palace, Set. Take the chariots and go. Our kingdom is in imminent danger."
Alarmed and caught off-guard, the high priest remarked, "My Queen, I cannot just leave you behind. The Pharaoh gave specific orders - "
With a voice more stern that it was before, Xandra said, "I ask you as a dear friend, Set... Atemu and the other high priests urgently need your help. Please return while there is a palace to return to. Hurry!"
Immediately after bowing, Set called half of the troops.
As a group of chariots led by Set audibly sped away from the tavern, Xandra asked the rest of the troops to wait outside and leave her alone inside the tavern.
"What is wrong, Sister Xandra?" inquired a familiar voice from within her mind as soon as the troops stepped outside the tavern.
Xandra's mind racked myriad of thoughts and her heart raced furiously. With her eyes reflecting the deep-rooted sadness within her, she pondered, "My two eyes confirm the proof. The more that I doubt the possibility, the more that my mind solidifies my suspicion."
"What do you intend to do?" asked Narmer - the mute member of the Mages' Council and the only one who could initiate mental conversation with the rest of the Mages' Council.
Feeling weary, Xandra mentally stated, "I am sorry, Brother. I have done my best to keep my secret for many years, but I must tell Atemu about my association with the Mages' Council as well as this imminent danger."
Along with a heavy wave of concern, Narmer stated, "How do you intend to tell him about the Council, Sister? You have made a covenant with the gods and your Brothers never to spill those secrets..."
"With everyone's permission, I would like to tell him that I could help him and the kingdom in a mystical way. However, I will not divulge any information without the Council's knowledge and blessing."
"Deep down, however, you wish that you could tell him more - do you not?"
Xandra admittedly stated, "Is it a grave sin, or a breach to my oath, if I wish to do so?"
With understanding laced in his voice, Narmer said, "It is not, Sister. Everyone else in the Council do not have ties to the physical world anymore, so the outside world's demands have no pull over us. You, however, have your husband and the people. Aside from this, you have your sworn duty to the Pharaoh and the citizens as the Queen."
While staring at the message written in blood, Xandra remarked, "I am afraid of the matters looming in the near future, Narmer. This is indeed the work of an enemy, but it is not the Hyskos. Everything that Atemu, as well as the Mages' Council, had worked hard for to protect Egypt is now threatened. This familiar threat is much deadlier, more vindictive, and crueler than the Hyskos could ever be."
After a long pause of silence, Narmer asked, "Since your predicament is unique, as well as a precedent, would it help if I talk on your behalf with our Brothers?"
Feeling slightly hopeful with Narmer's words, Xandra's eyes lit up. "Yes, Brother. Please let me know as soon as you can what the rest of the Council advises me to do..."
Once he told the troops to return to the barracks, Set walked towards the throne room.
As the high priest briskly walked towards his destination, a familiar voice said behind him, "Where is the Queen?"
Bracing himself, Set responded, "Queen Xandra is still in that town, along with half the search party."
"You should have not left the Queen!" the elderly counselor scolded.
With a response teetering on the line between assertiveness and disrespect, the high priest intently said, "The Queen ordered me to return to the palace!"
Set's reply shook Shimon. Reverting to the earlier focus of his attention, he told the young high priest, "Come with us, now!" The elderly man then sprinted towards the throne room.
The azure-eyed high priest looked back and saw that his five other peers were sprinting behind the counselor - all of them having distress written on their faces. With eyes wide in shock, he asked his fellow priests, "What is going on?"
"Thief Bakura infiltrated the palace! The Pharaoh needs us now!" said Mahado as he picked up the pace and ran.
Stunned beyond words, Set joined the others. Everyone ran as fast as he or she respectively could, ready to battle the sole invader.
Before sundown, a handful of chariots returned to the palace. All of the chariots' passengers remained silent from shock and pity for the victims of the carnage.
Shimon greeted the new arrivals and waited to speak with the Queen.
Xandra - the most silent one from all of them - dismissed the military commander for the evening. She informed him that she would personally brief the Pharaoh of their findings. Still shuddering from shock and anger over the carnage, as well as the startling revelation she uncovered at the tavern, she then marched towards the throne room with Shimon.
"You should have not allowed Set to leave you behind," said the elderly counselor as they came closer to the throne room.
"Set did not leave me behind in his own volition. Neither you or Atemu should reprimand him," replied Xandra nonchalantly. "I ordered him to leave. If there should be a recipient of Atemu's wrath then let it be me."
Shocked, Shimon blurted out, "Why? You know that Atemu specifically instructed everyone not to leave you behind. He will be disappointed with your contradictory orders."
Glancing at their counselor, Xandra remarked, "I have made my decision for very good reasons. I knew that Atemu and the palace needed Set more. While I was away, something happened in the palace that required all seven Millennium Item wielders - did it not?"
A tight-lipped Shimon nodded as he was baffled with Xandra' s accurate intuition. "Yes, Set was indeed needed earlier. Thief Bakura had infiltrated the palace."
Xandra' s hazel-brown eyes widened from disbelief as fear struck her heart by linking this latest incident with the town massacre. "The Thief was in the palace? Who was he with?"
"He worked alone, but the priests and the Pharaoh were barely able to handle him. If it were not for the Pharaoh being able to call out Obelisk, then the Thief would have laid claim to the seven Millennium Items."
Xandra slightly calmed down from hearing his report, causing the elderly counselor to be baffled with her seemingly odd reaction.
"My Queen," said the sentries, servants, and the high priests in unison as they all waited outside. As the head sentries opened the doors, Shimon and Xandra went inside the throne room.
Xandra froze at the sight she saw before her: a teary-eyed and deeply enraged Atemu quietly sat on the marbled floor as he tightly clutched a mummified body that rested on his lap.
The two new arrivals approached the Pharaoh much closer with different reactions. Shimon was more melancholic and Xandra was more in denial for every second that had passed.
Seeing the familiar array of jewelry that adorned the mummy as well as the intricate weaving of the burial linen, Xandra absent-mindedly approached her husband. Once she stood right beside him and confirmed her fears, she then helplessly fell on her knees and silently wept.
"My Pharaoh," said Shimon, "I will make arrangements for your father's immediate burial. I will also send an appropriate temporary resting place for his Royal Highness' remains. The high priests and I will also assign additional guards to your father's tomb."
Without looking at his counselor and guardian, Atemu grimly nodded.
Immediately after Shimon left and the doors closed, Xandra whispered, "I am so sorry, my love. I should have been here..."
"You have no fault in this," Atemu replied while staring at the mummy.
A sad Xandra then asked Atemu, "Why did the Thief - or anyone - have the audacity to desecrate Father's body?"
"He wanted revenge. He kept accusing Father of having an entire town - the Thief's home - massacred in one night to create the seven Millennium Items. Since Father is dead, the Thief wants me to pay for Father's supposed sins..."
"It does not make sense!" Xandra retorted in the middle of tears as her eyes fell on the remains of her adoptive parent. "Our father would never have commissioned anyone to murder innocent people, most especially his own citizens."
"I do not know which matter is harder to believe - the fact that someone desecrated Father's tomb and body, or the fact that Father had spoken to me as the seven of us battled Thief Bakura." Atemu then slowly stood up, carefully picked up the mummy, and gently carried it at the throne area. He then placed the mummy on the marbled floor before their thrones, and then sat on the steps immediately below the body.
Xandra shuddered as she knew that behind Atemu's silence was mixed emotions of anger, confusion, and hurt. After letting out a deep sigh, she then said, "I would not be surprised if Father still has a message to convey from the Afterlife. After all, the bonds of the heart do not break after death..."
Minutes later, the young Pharaoh muttered as he stared at a distance with silent tears and clenched fists, "The Thief just made innocent people pay for a crime that he claimed that Father committed years ago. He must be stopped at all costs."
Xandra turned to Atemu and raised an eyebrow. "Were you just referring to the town carnage that we have investigated? What makes you so certain that Thief Bakura committed those acts?"
A tight-lipped Atemu then blurted out, "You went there yourself, did you not? The Thief massacred an entire town in one night."
Xandra shuddered once again as she recalled the bloody writing on the wall. With quiet and absolute certainty, she said, "I agree with you about stopping the Thief. However, my love, I guarantee you that the Thief did not commit those atrocious acts."
Atemu's customary frown crinkled his forehead. "What makes you so certain?"
"The Thief may want revenge and may go through extremes for retribution such as desecrating Father's tomb and body. However, I do not see him satiating his desire for revenge by killing innocent people. After all, his own people suffered the same cruel fate."
"So are you telling me that he may be twisted, but he is not that heartless?" Before Xandra could give him an affirmative response, amethyst eyes burned as Atemu's frown deepened. "If it was not the Thief's handiwork, then who massacred an entire town of defenseless citizens?"
With a monotone which masked the fear and anger residing within her, Xandra replied, "The murderers were from my old kingdom. I still do not understand how, but they managed to escape the Atlantean cataclysm and those survivors are now out for a bloodbath. This means that they would use every means to kill you and our people before they kill me..."
Normal Disclaimer
Yu-Gi-Oh is the copyrighted property of Kazuki Takahashi.
Xandra / Emrys, other non-YGO characters / OCs, as well as this fanfic belong to the author.
Thanks for reading and constructively reviewing. As much as this fanfic stands alone, it is part of the Lost Souls Story Arc.