[Whoa! A total of - counts reviews 3 reviews! I didn't know I could count that high! In any case, I decided to stick this out there to occupy your time while I finish DF. So… ponders er… read. I guess.]

[Re-uploaded 5/6/04. Tiet's manner of speaking changed from educated to commoner. Woo]

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Dance the Forbidden Dance

Chapter Two

Announcements and Celebrations

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The next day dawned brightly, forcing Yami to wake up early. He hated that, but his father insisted he rise with Ra, so his bedroom had been placed to the far east of the palace.

"Oww...." he groaned, stretching. He walked out onto his balcony, looking down at the vast courtyard below. Leaning on the rail, he looked up at the sky, blue as can be. Yami sighed. He still held true to what he had pleaded for the night before. A single bird flew by, squawking madly. Yami laughed at the sight.

"Well..." he muttered. "Better get to where Aklia is waiting..." Retreating back to his room, he quickly adorned his finest, adjusting the golden bands around his wrists. He picked up the golden crown, the one that settled on his forehead. He stared at it, the Eye of Horus staring back at him.

"Stop it," he said, putting it on his forehead. It settled over his ears, making him wince at the weight. "Ow ow ow ow..." Someone knocked on the wall beside the curtain that covered his doorway. It was Helena, a young servant girl. She knocked again, a little louder this time.

"Yes?" Yami called, trying his gold sash tightly. Helena pushed the curtain aside.

"Umm... Atem?" she asked, blushing immediately as Yami turned around. Helena had always had a bit of a crush on the Prince, taken by his kind nature, rebellious attitude and regal glow. Helena stared, speechless. Yami wasn't paying attention to her, standing in the center of the luxurious room, looking down at his waist. He frowned slightly, pushing his bangs back, pulling the sash tightly, and the sun bouncing off his copper skin....

Helena shook her head.

"....Uh.... A-Aklia was asking for you," She murmured. Yami turned to face her, satisfied now. She immediately bowed her head, her cheeks beet red. Yami smiled gently and sighed, walking forwards. He put his forefinger beneath her chin, bring up her head. She gasped, loud enough for both of them to hear. Helena, short of breath, began coughing, her hand over her mouth.

"You alright?"

"....Yes..." she said, regaining her breath. Yami smiled again.

"I'd better go now...." Helena bowed again, letting him leave first. She was headed in the same direction. Her family was normally present at these types of things, since they were the head servants, and very much loved by the Pharaoh's family.

Helena followed Yami through the halls, the sunlight dappling on them every so often as they passed the outside windows. Yami stopped as he reached the edge of the main courtyard, where the entire city was currently gathered, waiting for the announcement. Excitement rippled through the crowd; no one knew what was going to happen.

Helena saw her mother sitting on the edge of a pillar, her younger daughter by her knee. Aiji nodded to Helena, motioning for her to come towards her.

"Mother," Helena whispered, sitting down. Ankumanukanon was waiting in the shadows, Anna beside him. They were talking in hushed voices. The eldest child of the royal family, Asenath, was leaning against the wall, her eyes trained on Yami, holding their younger brother's hand. Sekhem was pulling on Asenath's arm, attempting to pull himself away from her.

"Sister," he muttered, dressed nearly identical as his older brother, "Let me go."

"No, Sekhem," she hissed back, adjusting her braid. "Father doesn't want me to." Sekhem frowned, annoyed. "You're too young to be up here. You might fall."

"I'm ten," Sekhem said, as if it made a difference. Asenath scoffed.

"Sekhem, I'm twenty and still not allowed to be out here without anyone else. So quit whining." Sekhem stared up at his sister in awe.

"You're twenty? Why aren't you married, then?" Sekhem asked. Asenath rolled her eyes.

"I can't. I'm a priestess."

"Oh."

Yami was still outside the doorway, invisible to the group inside. He was listening intently to the conversations.

"Helena," Aiji whispered to Helena. "Didn't you get Yami?"

"I did," Helena whispered back. "He's outside the room." However, that didn't last long. Aklia happened to be strolling down the same corridor, and Yami was unable to hide in time.

"Atem!" she cried, springing on him. She leaped onto his arm, making him yell out.

Everyone on the platform looked over at the doorway.

"Ah," Ankumanukanon said with a laugh. "There he is." Yami and Aklia entered the room, Yami with a sour expression, Aklia not even noticing.

"Finally," Mana, Helena's sister, said. "Where was he?"

"Hiding from her, no doubt," Aiji said with a smile. Yami sighed, Aklia clinging to his arm. Asenath snickered and shook her head, smiling. Sekhem frowned, his small wrist still being held by Asenath.

"Nefer-Asen..." he muttered. Asenath tightened her already firm grip. Ankumanukanon straightened up, Anna following his motions. Yami looked over at Asenath a mouthed 'get me out of this.' Asenath shook her head. Yami stuck his tongue at her as he walked by, Aklia still with no notice. Ankumanukanon placed his hand on Yami's shoulder, making him gasp. He turned to see his father standing there. Yami sighed once more.

"Are you ready, Atem?" he asked in a low voice. Yami scoffed.

"I'm never ready," he replied.

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The raids had ended.

Jono wiped his forehead, leaving a trail of blood from his hand.

"Jono," Tiet said, wiping the blood off him. "You really oughta be careful." Jono waved him away, his left arm in a sling. Jono's lip was bleeding, and his sword was blood-stained. Other then that, he was extremely... chipper.

Tiet sat down in the sand under a tent. The group was near the docks, setting up tents for wounded people near the Nile. Jono looked around.

"Seems like everyone's still alive," he said, breathing hard. His hurt arm was still bleeding, however. "Dai awake yet?"

"He's coming around," Tiet said, pointing. Dai was lying on his side, his eyes half open, blinking. He had gotten a sizable blow to the head, knocking him unconscious. That day, the Imperial Order had been in the courtyard, which left the small, young militia to anyone who came to the city. Raids had been coming, men riding on horses over the desert, slashing everything in sight. Trying to capture slaves for themselves.

Luckily, with Jono leading them, they met the raiders before they reached the city, successfully wounding them and their pride. No one had been killed, but plenty injured.

"We've fought them so many times," Jono announced, "That it's less likely they'll return anytime soon." This was met with joyful cheers. Dai, half conscious, smiled. Tiet squatted down beside him, helping him up.

"Didya hear?" Tiet announced out to everyone. The men in the militia all looked up. "The Prince's wedding was announced!" This was met with murmurs. Jono nodded in approval. They militia murmured amongst itself, nothing of great importance being said. Jono looked around, keeping a watchful eye on his troops. He figured nothing was going to happen...

A moan came from the side of the tent. Dai slid to the ground, blood oozing from his mouth, unconscious once again.

"Dai?" Jono said, alarmed. He took off running towards Dai, kneeling down before him. Dai's eyes opened wearily, then closed. Jono shook Dai, attempting to wake him.

"Dai? Dai! Dai, wake up!" Dai's head slipped to the side, his body following the motion. He landed with a thud. Jono shook his head, speechless.

"W-what do we do?" someone asked.

"Get a physician! Hurry!" Tiet called, while Jono stared down at Dai. Dai's chest rose and fell gently, indicating he was still among the living. But Jono wasn't sure how long that would last. With a shaking body, he readily ordered someone to get him a blanket. He didn't even hear himself speak; he had never lost someone close to him before. Not since his own father had died many years ago. And he wasn't going to start now.

Dai's eyes opened slowly, and he smiled weakly up at Jono.

"Hey… Jono," he whispered. Jono sighed in relief. They hadn't lost Dai.

"Dai… Ra, please don't do that," Jono said back, shaking. For one moment, one vital moment, Jono felt completely helpless. He had panicked. He had never really panicked before. It made him feel very uncomfortable, and he was shaking now. It made him feel… Vulnerable. He found he didn't like that at all.

"I got someone!" A voice called, a soldier marching back into the makeshift camp.

"Don't worry, he's alright now," Tiet called, looking down at his friend. Dai closed his eyes and relaxed his shoulders.

"I'm just tired, that's really all, guys…" The soldier shook his head.

"She still wants to check him," he said. Jono sighed. When –

"Wait. She? You got a female doctor?" he said in disbelief. The soldier gulped.

"The best one in the city, Jono," a feminine voice called from outside the tent. A dainty hand pushed back the flap, and a tall woman stepped inside. The entire militia seemed to gasp at once. She was tall, with long, thick, dark hair, braided. She wore a black top and a black skirt, a frill of translucent, shimmering material wrapped around her, with a silver sash. All her jewelry silver, except for a single ankh, made of gold, around her neck. Her maroon eyes flashed as she entered, followed by her brother.

It was Princess Asenath.

"Ah," Jono said, smiling. He stood up, walking over to her. She was a clear foot taller then he was. Also about five years older. "So I see. Not the best, eh?" Asenath laughed dryly and pushed him aside. Jono frowned, rubbing the back of his head. Yami stepped up beside his friend, looking at him quizzically.

"Erm…" Was all Yami could provide for an explanation. Asenath bent down next to Dai, placing her fingers gently on his neck. His eyes were closed, and he seemed to be asleep. She applied slight pressure, leaning towards him. She listened to his breathing closely, making mental notes. She bit her lower lip, checking his heart also. She turned his head to face herself, pushing his dark hair off his face.

"Hmmm..." she muttered. The entire militia seemed to be holding it's breath, waiting for her report. She nodded, taking her fingers of his heart. She sat up, her face breaking into a smile.

"It's not a physical ailment," she explained, wiping his pale forehead. Jono blinked.

"It... It's not?" he stammered. Yami's face went from confused to understanding, nodding his head.

"Oh... I get it," he said softly. Jono turned to him.

"What?" Asenath, on the other hand, was checking the cut on the side of his head.

"This isn't that deep," she explained. She looked up at them all. "I suspect he took a blow to the head, ne?" Some small murmurs, but the militia eventually agreed. Asenath took a good look around the tent, her eyes narrowed.

"Is anyone else hurt?" she asked. The men looked at each other for a moment. Most of them were young, around fourteen and fifteen. And most of them were fine. However....

A Princess, a calm, beautiful, powerful priestess at that, of royal blood, was checking up on them.

Wouldn't you go over to her, too?

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"You coming tonight?" Jono asked Yami. Yami stared at him, confused.

"Coming... Where?" he asked, shrugging. Jono stared at him, drying his sopping hair. Then he rolled his eyes.

"Oh, yeah, I forgot. You don't know about it. There's gonna be a big party celebrating our success, Yami," Jono explained, his hair a mess. Yami laughed at his head.

"You look silly," he said. Jono frowned, flattening it with his hand.

"Ah, hell, it'll sit down when it dries," he explained, giving up. Yami cocked his head.

" 'Sit down'?"

"My mother says that," he explained, tying his sash tightly. He and the entire militia were returning from a meeting with the Pharaoh. Yami had been hanging around outside the room, eavesdropping. According to him, it was 'listening for information for future reference'.

"When is it?" Yami asked.

"Tonight, in the city. We're gonna have a bonfire, and Aya and her friends are gonna dance... That girl is gonna be there," Jono explained, explaining pretty much nothing. Yami, who didn't go into the city that often, just looked at him, a confused expression on his face. Jono sighed and threw up his hands.

"That girl? That one that those raiders left...?" Yami stared at him, then remembered. Her.

"What was her name? Senn.... Sennaniakah?"

"Yep," Jono said, staring up at the midday sun. "She helped us. Told us what their weaknesses were and such... Now she's free," Jono said, smiling at Yami. "She's lucky."

"Why is she going against her own homeland?" Yami asked. Jono laughed.

"She was captured by them from the south, where the Nile starts," he stated. "In the mountains. That's why her skin isn't as dark as ours."

"Oh..." Yami said, looking at his hands. He looked up again, smiling. "Well... I'll see if I can get away from Aklia long enough for her to think I'm doing something, then I'll have to sneak around the guards..." Yami sighed. "I'll try. I've... Never been to a party like that before."

"First time for everything, bud," Jono said, leaning back. The two were sitting in the courtyard, near a large pool. Yami shrugged.

"I can't promise anything," he said softly. Jono opened one eye to look at Yami with.

"How many times have you been in the city?" Yami shrugged.

"Maybe.... Twice, with no one else... About three times with my father... And once, today, with Asenath," Yami said, chuckling. "That's pathetic, compared to you."

"Well... I live there," Jono said, putting up his hands. "I don't have a choice." The two remained silent, watching the flowers in Anna's garden flitter in the wind.

"Yami?"

"Mhhm?"

"What did Asenath mean... 'This isn't a physical ailment' when she checked Dai?" Jono wondered. Yami turned to Jono, a half smile on his face.

"His kaa was nearly run out, so he collapsed," Yami explained. Jono had a sudden understanding.

"Oh... How'd that happen?"

"He must have gone into the fight tired, or weak, and used the energy form his kaa to power him." Jono stretched and stood up.

"Well... I'm glad that your father thinks I'm such a great leader," Jono said, smiling. "But I have to go back to the city. I'm meeting Maia on the outskirts. No guards hang out around there, so..." He gave a small wave, then climbed the far brick wall. Yami watched him squat at the top of the wall, then propel himself down a good seven or eaight feet, landing in some bushes.

"Ahh!" he cried, and Yami heard a thud. Then silence. Jono had gone. Yami stared at the wall. If only he could get enough courage to go up there, he could easily escape the palace then risk getting out the front way around the guards. Except...

He was afraid of heights.

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Helena saw her at first. The young servant of the palace, only a few months younger then the oldest prince, her auburn hair tied back loosely, her slim, lanky body standing out among the other servants. Helena was out at night, watching the bonfire, seeing Aya, the 'star-child', dance among the flames. The young men in the militia, most of whom weren't married, were watching the dancer girls dance in the flames.

Aya's hair spilled out against the night sky, glinting like the finest of golds. Her eyes opened, her body poised, the lead dancer, also known as Jono's younger sister. Which meant she was off-limits.

Ever since she had first fallen from the sky years ago, in a burst of light and color, falling into the open arms of Jono's father, she had been known to everyone as Jono's sister. The star-child.

Helena was joining in the clapping, the laughing and cheering with the others, watching the dancers and hearing the music.

Aya fell into the open arms of a soldier, panting and sweating.

"Youse did good, Aya," Tiet said, wrapping his arms around her waist. Jono narrowed his eyes at Tiet, placing his hand above his sword.

"Don't think about it, Tiet-Ahkmose," he threatened. Tiet laughed. Aya closed her eyes to fall asleep.

Yami snuck through the crowd.

"Whoa! Hey, Yami!" Jono cried, clapping his hand on the prince's shoulder. Yami looked around, making sure no one from the palace was there. Helena noticed Yami, and was about to say something, when she noticed how happy he looked to be away from the palace. He was smiling, laughing, talking to Jono.

Helena let feelings and hormones take over. Surely, he could have one night off from being the prince...

And besides, the only people who knew him as 'Yami' was Jono and his immediate family, anyway.

"So, Yami," Jono said, clearly drunk (or close to being there.) "Aklia here?"

"Thank Ra no," Yami said, his eyes sparkling. "I snuck out." Jono laughed.

"I knew you could make it," he said loudly.

"Yami," Tiet said, putting his hand on Yami's shoulder, "If yer father knew how many times you've gone behind 'is back... Lettin' Jono an' Maia be togetha', and fixing me an' Aya up... I'm surprised you haven't taken a liking in any of the girls here." Yami shrugged. He watched Aya who was leaning against Tiet. She was way above him, but neither of them cared that much.

"Honestly, I figured I'd be disowned before that happens," he said, joking, of course. Tiet laughed. He walked back to Aya, who was fixing her skirts. She kissed him quickly, as if taunting him, then leaned back, laughing. Yami moved near to Tiet.

"Is he drunk?" Yami asked, pointing to Jono. Tiet shrugged.

"Most likely. Hey, speakin' of that..." Tiet picked up a mug and gave it to Yami. "Here ya go. Last time youse come here, youse were drunk, too, eh?"

"Well..."

"First time fo' everythin', right?" Tiet said, mocking Jono. Yami laughed, and drank from the mug. He had had ale before, but never this much in one serving. He downed the mug, wiping his mouth. He wobbled bit, then set it down on the ground.

"Thanks," Yami told Jono. He felt a bit dizzy, but he felt more at ease. He looked back over at the large bonfire, where cheers had started.

Another dancer came on. She was beautiful, a girl with long, brown hair. Her eyes were golden, her body poised, ready to dance. Her skin was lighter then everyone else's, her hair thinner. Yami's eye bulged. He recognized her...

This was a celebration. Since the girl had done so well, she was free to be a servant, and hopefully move up in the ranks.

"Teana!" Aya cried out, starting the clapping once more. Teana lifted her skirt in her hand, and pulled a white, long-petaled flower from her pocket. A mitsukai. A beautiful flower. Placing it in her hair, she twirled around, getting into an interesting, foreign dance.

Yami was dumbstruck. It was the girl he had seen that morning, the one who he had waved to. Smoke circled in the air, making Yami cough a little, blurring his vision momentarily. Jono had forced some ale onto him as well, which he accepted gratefully. Making him, probably almost as drunk as Jono. Yami stumbled backwards, eventually being caught by Dai, who had no idea that Yami was the prince. His kaa had recovered enough with some medicine that Asenath gave him to attend.

Teana continued to dance, eventually ending her routine with a flourish, her colorful skirts and tall body making her stand out.

"Woo! Yeah, she was amazin'!" Tiet cried, Aya clapping loudly. Jono pumped his fist into the air.

"Yes! She is definitely better then my sister," he teased, sticking his tongue at her. Aya rolled her eyes. Teana was panting, a huge smile on her face, listening to the cheers of the crowd. She stumbled forwards, trying to become part of the crowd for the next dancers to come on.

She stumbled right into Yami.

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[oh… so the party was THIS chap… nods well… that's my portrayal of Yami drunk. LOL. The next chapter: Drunk I believe its called? giggles insanely WEEEEE!!!! Oh, btw, I've never been drunk. I'm only 14 people – the most alcohol I've ever drank was at new years 2000 when I was ten. I had a sip of champagne. So… that's it. REALLY!]

Shibby-One