WHEN MEMORIES WOULD NEVER BE ENOUGH
Chapter Seventeen - Left Behind
This chapter contains some spoilers from the Yu-Gi-Oh manga series.
"I did not know that the Queen's interest also lies in magic."
Xandra's heart almost leapt from her chest along with the concoction of herbs that she was brewing. Recovering from the shock and steadying her hand, she then slowly turned around and stared at the new arrival. "You scared the living Hades out of me!"
"I am sorry," Mana sheepishly said. "Since Master Mahado passed away, this study had been pretty quiet. It's been too quiet, if you ask me." Many silent minutes passed between them as Mahado's young protégée sadly looked around the familiar room. Her curiosity then piqued once more as she asked, "What are you trying to do?"
As a gentle and empathetic smile crept over Xandra's face, she then told the younger girl, "Could you keep a secret, Mana?"
The young magician nodded her head. "We have always kept secrets for each other."
Xandra let out a sigh as she told Mana, "I'm summoning the Sparti to fight the invaders."
"The Sparti?" the younger mage gasped in disbelief. "They are the fierce mystical warriors from your legends. They are uncontrollable, my Queen!"
"I have to do my best. There is no other way that I could think of."
"How would you be able to control them? From what Master Mahado taught me in previous lessons, it would take a strong amount of dark powers to conjure up the Sparti. It would take even greater amounts of magic most especially to control them. How would you manage to harness that much power without making a pact with the dark ones?"
Sad hazel eyes gazed into Mana's eyes. "I am sorry, my dear friend. I cannot disclose that information."
An exasperated Mana begged, "You are facing corruption, my Queen! Tampering with the dark powers always has dire consequences! Please reconsider!"
"I have to fight with the Sparti that I summon and stay alive until the last enemy is dead. Afterwards, they would revert back in their latent state," said a grim Xandra without blinking. "Otherwise, the Sparti will revert into their old ways and turn against the townspeople."
Mana remarked under her breath, "You are gambling with your life as well as our people's lives. What if your spell fails and the Sparti turn against you? Does the Pharaoh know about this?"
Taking the younger girl's hand, a tightlipped Xandra told her, "The Pharaoh knows that I would be conjuring up the Sparti."
The young girl looked at Xanda with worry in her expressive eyes. "We have already lost Mahado. The Pharaoh is already greatly grieving over his death. Do not add to our grief by taking this mission and dying from it!"
With a soothing voice, Xandra reassured Mahado's young apprentice, "I will be fine, Mana. How many times have we had such conversations about these dangerous missions, only for me to return to the palace and share many nights' worth of stories?"
The young girl remained silent and concerned.
"Please, Mana. I need you to help the Pharaoh, Shimon, and the high priests protect the palace and our people. I need to go out there and do it alone. Our people's safety outside the palace walls depends on my success. Do you promise to keep this a secret from everyone else?"
"I do. Is there anything that I could help you with?" asked Mana with such a heavy and fear-ridden heart.
A grateful and relieved smile curled Xandra's lips as she replied, "A petition to the gods for our overall success and my safe return would be helpful and appreciated. I now need to work alone, Mana. Otherwise the power of this spell will wear off if I do not recite the incantation very soon."
Mana's eyes momentarily went wide. Curious to see the outcome and to ensure the Queen's safety, she asked, "May I watch you work?"
"I am afraid not, my friend," responded Xandra with a rueful smile.
"May the gods be with you, my Queen," said Mana as she left the study and closed the door behind her. "Whatever you do, please be careful." Since her back was turned, she did not see the bright lights that lit the entire study. She then walked towards her own bedchambers - making the series of turns and then almost bumping into an absent-minded Set.
Azure eyes stared at the young apprentice mage, as their owner inquired, "Did you see the Queen?"
"She is in the mages' study," Mana quietly replied.
Set raised an eyebrow as he muttered, "What is she doing in the mages' study?" Seeing that a perplexed-looking Mana was not going to respond, he then marched towards the study and knocked at the door.
"Come in!" said Xandra. As the azure-eyed high priest and close friend opened the door, she knew that he was troubled.
"Do you have time to talk?" Set asked Xandra while closing the door behind him. After she gave him a nod, he then sat down on the bench beside her and remained silent.
A quiet Xandra gave Set as much time and space as he needed to sort out his feelings - looking at him with such empathy.
Eventually, he told her, "If you have discovered something about yourself that changes everything, what would you do?"
Hazel eyes narrowed as they stared into azure ones. "It depends on what fact you have recently unraveled about yourself." As Set fell quiet once more, she reached out, held his hand, and told him, "What is wrong, Set? Out of the two of us, you are always the one who is certain about your identity and principles."
"I just found out two things about myself. First, I am responsible for someone else's death. Second, Elder Akunadin - the former Pharaoh's brother - is my father."
The young Atlantean was stunned from Set's words. As the high priest talked about the ka experiments and his involvement with Kisara, part of her felt a tinge of jealousy towards the foreigner. She could tell from Set's words and demeanor that the deceased young woman now held a greater place in his heart - a fact that she was happy about since she wanted Set to find his own happiness, but was unexplainably uncomfortable with.
By the time her azure-eyed friend told her that Akunadin killed Kisara, she blurted out, "Why would Elder Akunadin kill her?"
He sighed - hoping to release the heaviness of his heart but to no avail. "He kept talking about the greater good and securing my claim to the throne. He kept talking about Kisara's ka as the instrument in making everything fall into place."
Her eyes went wide. With a rueful expression reflected in her eyes, she murmured after a long pause of silence, "It is just as if I were back home in Atlantis. Elder Akunadin wanted you to take the throne from Atemu." She then reverted back to being perplexed as her eyes narrowed. "That, however, is not his usual demeanor."
"That is what bothers me," said an absent-minded and stupefied Set. "He rambled as if he were a madman. Ever since I was a child, I have always sensed something dark within him - but never as dark as it was today. Out of the six high priests, he has always been our voice of reason. He dedicated everything for the good of Egypt. As much as he has been like a father to me, no one could replace the father that I grew up with."
A reminiscing smile crept from her face. Her eyes lit up as she told him, "He was a good man and a good commander. He gave up his life for the greater good - our people."
"If Elder Akunadin is my real father, then what does that make me? If I were not blinded with my hatred and aspirations to gain more power to fight Thief Bakura, then Kisara would still be alive." Sadness and hurt dominated Set's demeanor.
With a tightlipped smile and a reassuring grip on his hands, she stared into his eyes and told him, "You are still, and would always be, the man that you have always been. You are dedicated, driven, strong, and principled. You are also a good man, a respected high priest, and a good friend to Atemu and me."
Set then muttered, "Have you ever been afraid of getting corrupted since your race had been prone to it?"
"I had my moments of fear. Although blood and history have their strong pull, any person could rise from those chains. Although a father normally has a strong influence over his child, that child would grow up and make his mark in this world. As to Kisara, you did not drive the dagger into her heart. You are not at fault with her death."
"I still do not know what to do," Set said with a burdened sigh.
"You do not have to do anything now. I will leave it up to you to either have our laws handle it or for you to seek a fitting retribution for Kisara's death. I will respect and support whatever decision you wish to pursue."
"Thank you, Xandra. Thank you for being a good friend."
After the long pause of silence between them, she then told him, "For friendship's sake, I need to ask you two favors."
"What is it?" he asked, as part of him did not like the foreboding tone laced in her voice.
"I am leaving first thing in the morning with our troops to protect our citizens from invaders. Please assist Atemu as best as you can..."
Azure eyes sought to stare into hazel. "What is the second favor?"
After a long period of silence, she returned the probing gaze as she told him, "I want you to keep this between us. If something ever happens to me, please make sure that I would get a proper burial...just as my homeland would do to honor their dead. As to my ashes, give them to Atemu for safekeeping. As to my necklace and ring, make sure that one living person after another would have them starting with Atemu. They do not belong inside the tomb or the funeral pyre. I entrust you with my wishes."
Shock and anger welled up inside Set as he said, "Why are you talking such nonsense? You know that our troops will protect you with their very lives. The Pharaoh also does not understand why you insist for all the high priests to stay in the palace."
"Atemu needs everyone, Set - most especially you. You know that since we ascended the throne, one of us stayed in the palace while the other fought the battles. Since I have more inside knowledge about the enemy, it would deem best for me to lead our troops this time. On the other hand, a dangerous mystical enemy also threatens the palace. The Pharaoh needs as much ka as well as the power of the Millennium Items to protect our palace and people."
As she was about to stand up, he held her hand and demanded from her, "You are not telling me something, Xandra."
She calmly replied, "I have told you everything that there is to know."
"Whatever you do, take care," a tightlipped Set remarked as he asked her to sit down. He then gazed into her eyes, as he told her, "You really do not have to fight this battle. Atemu and your people need you."
While their shared stare deepened, she then told him with quiet authenticity, "Thank you for being there for me and Atemu, Set. I would always love you for being such a good friend and brother."
His azure eyes pierced into hazel ones as he probed, "What in the gods' names is going on with you?"
"Nothing," she told him her white lie with a rueful half-smile on her face - trying to suppress the tears that were about to flow down her cheeks.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Xandra stood at the balcony of their bedchambers once more - deep in thought, as she waited for Atemu's return from a military council meeting. She sadly gazed at the splendor of Egypt at nightfall as she mused, "Six years sure flies quickly. It was just as if it were yesterday."
"What are you thinking about?" Atemu - interrupting her train of thought - whispered in her ear as he embraced and kissed her from behind.
"I finished perfecting the spell to conjure up the Sparti. I am just tired from the days' worth of work." She then turned around to face him and gaze into his deep and expressive amethyst eyes.
"When do you plan to leave with our troops?"
"I am leaving with them before the crack of dawn," she quietly replied.
"The troops that are staying behind have been assigned their duties. From the sound of it, everyone's hard work has paid of and everything is in place." After letting out the last amount of stress in his body with a sigh, the Pharaoh tenderly caressed her face with his fingers.
She closed her eyes to enjoy the warmth of his touch. "I love you very much, Atemu."
With a gentle smile, he responded, "I love you very much, too. You have been such a blessing to me, as well as our people."
"Egypt has been kind to me first in so many ways," she said with gratitude expressed in her hazel eyes. "She gave me a home when I had none. She also gave you to me, as well as blessed me with a way to serve our people."
"Is something bothering you, my love," asked Atemu as he looked into her eyes. "I noticed that you have not been sleeping well lately, and Set told me that you were sad when you have spoken with him earlier."
She smiled as she held his hand and whispered, "I just had too many matters in my mind. Tonight, however, could we just think about the two of us?"
Before Atemu could respond, she planted a lingering kiss on his lips and embraced him with such longing - a gesture that he happily reciprocated. Moments later, he gently led her to their bed as they started their long passionate evening as husband and wife.
When it was already deep into the night, she woke up from her light sleep and rose from their bed - being extremely careful not to awaken a soundly sleeping Atemu. After wearing her armor and wielding her sword, she then stood beside her husband as she mused, "Forgive me, my love. I would not know what to do if something bad ever happened to you or our people." She then mentally chanted her incantation.
Unknown to everyone, she had already perfected the Sparti conjuring spell days ago. She devoted her time since then to find a way to track down the next Sparti invasion, take that battle to a different plane of existence, and to circumvent the foreboding vision from the Fates - the one that showed her Atemu's lifeless body.
As much as she would fight with all her might, she also realistically accepted that she might never return again. She knew that if anyone realized the truth, then she would never be allowed to take such a risk. Tears welled up in her eyes while she waved her right hand and summoned a mystical portal.
As soon as she stepped inside the portal, her temporary spell took effect - the fabric of reality was altered so that no one remembered her existence.
End of Chapter Seventeen
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Author's Notes
Yu-Gi-Oh is the copyrighted property of Kazuki Takahashi. Emrys / Xandra, Hyperion, the Orichalchos Medallion, the Mages' Council, and this fanfic are the author's property.
This fanfiction was written for entertainment purposes only, thereby releasing the author from all liabilities.