[ahaha! Yami died! Its the next day, and the effects of his death are settling in on everyone... eeks. Oh yes, and Jellybob 15 gets cookies for being me 100th reviewer :D]
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Dance the Forbidden Dance
Chapter Fourteen [?]
The Death of the Prince
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By the next morning, everyone in the city seemed to know about Yami's death. The news traveled to other cities near to theirs, so all the people of Egypt would know. The people of the city had stayed up all night, listening to the priests' announcement.
....In the past hour, the Prince Atem has left this life and passed on to the next, temporarily leaving Egypt with no successor to the Pharaoh.... Surely, his part played in society will be remembered... What he did for us during this war... However, after his burial, training will start on the Prince Sekhem, to be Pharaoh's new successor....
Teana was asleep during this. She had been sedated a few minutes later, because her sobs and her sorrow were making her short of breath, and she was coughing hard. She was lying on her side in a bed in Maia's home, the blanket pulled over her body. She woke up late the next morning, hearing the soft pitter of a light rain hitting the roof. The weather matched the general mood.
"Teana, dear," Maia said, walking over to her. Teana lifted her head, moaning slightly and looking around. She looked up as Maia approached.
"Oh. Maia," she said slowly. "Where.... Where am I?"
"My home," Maia explained. She sat on the edge of Teana's bed. "Your home was too far for Jono to carry you, so we let you sleep here." Teana slowly sat up, running her elegant hands through her long hair. She rubbed her face and stretched her arms.
What an odd dream I had... she thought. She was about to turn to Maia and tell her about it, when she noticed Maia had a forlorn look on her face and was staring absently at her hands.
"Maia....?" she said slowly, tilting her head to the side. "What..."
"You know what happened last night, right?" Maia asked. Teana blinked. Then her eyes widened.
It wasn't a dream.
Yami really was dead. Teana, however, was much calmer about it. She lay back down on her stomach and sighed deeply.
"...Oh....."
"You didn't hear the announcement made last night," Maia told her. Teana looked up at her.
"What announcement?"
"We were told what was going to happen. After.... After Yami's burial, Sekhem is going to begin his training as successor to Pharaoh..." Teana nodded and stared at the wall, biting her lip.
"...How did this happen?" Teana wondered. Maia shrugged.
"People were saying that Yami was bitten when he fell into the Nile, and that his body doesn't have any natural immunity to venom.... He died from a massive fever." Teana closed her eyes as the pain re-established itself in her heart.
....She had to talk to Asenath.....
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Inside the palace, all was turmoil. Sekhem had woken up early that morning, wondering what was happening. With difficulty, Asenath had told Sekhem his beloved brother had passed away last night. He had taken the news like everyone else; he broke down into tears and Asenath hugged him, letting him cry. He couldn't help it; he was a fragile boy. She had taken him outside to sit in the courtyard with her while people ran around inside, trying to comfort her mother, who was still hysterical.
Asenath was having a hard time trying to convince Sekhem that his brother would be fine in the Afterlife. Poor Sekhem was so confused…
And Seto wasn't helping at all.
"H-how?" he asked again, grabbing onto Asenath's hands tightly. "How could this have happened?"
"No one knows, Sekhem," Asenath answered softly, pushing his black hair behind his ears. He held onto her hands as long as he could, trying to receive comfort from her. Seto was sitting beside them, staring at his hands. He seemed to be lost in his thoughts. He glanced at Sekhem, watching him cry into Asenath's hands. He shook his head and closed his eyes.
Yami... You idiot, look what you did, he thought to himself.
"Atem...." Sekhem muttered, his tears splashing onto his sister's hands. "Why did he have to die?!" Asenath closed her eyes, trying to put the look of great sadness that Sekhem had right out of her mind. She reached out and gently pulled him towards her, hugging him gently. Her own tears fell onto his head, her arms wrapped protectively around him.
"Sekhem... My brother," she whispered, holding him gently. He had buried his face into her shoulder. Asenath looked around the courtyard to see if anyone was coming, and noticed the mitsukai tree. The buds were just barely blooming.
"Oh..." she muttered. Yami and Aklia's wedding would have been soon... Asenath's eyes widened.
"Aklia!" she said, a bit louder. "Where is she? Does she know?" Sekhem pushed away from Asenath as she said this.
"She was t-the reason I c-c-came up to you, Nefer-Asen," Sekhem explained. "I saw her th-this morning, cryin' in her room. I w-wasn't sure why, so I went t-to find someone who wasn't c-cryin' her." Asenath shook her head.
"I'm surprised she wasn't there last night..." she said softly, her eyes drifting to the girl's bedroom window. It was more like a balcony. The curtain was drawn over the doorway to the balcony, although a torch was lit inside.
"She had been sedated earlier," Seto explained, his voice hoarse. "She hadn't been feeling well." Asenath nodded, then looked up at the balcony window.
Aklia must be in there, Asenath thought to herself. She rubbed Sekhem's back gently and cast her eyes to the ground. Aklia.... She loved him so much.... She shook her head and allowed Sekhem to cry. She stroked his back, feeling his shoulders heave. She glanced over at her cousin, looking from his face towards the ground. Seto tapped the hard courtyard ground, then stared up at the sky.
"It's not over yet, Asenath," he said slowly, turning back towards Asenath. Asenath scrunched up her face in confusion.
"What's not over?" she asked. Seto smiled, then tapped his fingers again.
"There's still time, Asenath," he said, raising his eyebrows. Asenath shook her head. She and Seto had pretty much grown up together, he being only a few years younger then herself. Seto smiled. Asenath stared blankly at him.
"....I don't understand...." she replied. "Is there something else?"
"The bargain," Seto said. "You're his highest priestess. You pretty much are him himself, Asenath. Remember... What he said..." Asenath began shaking her head when her maroon eyes widened in surprise.
"Wait! You mean... Osiris?" she said, tightening her grip on Sekhem. "But, what could I bargain?"
"What means the most to you -- besides your brothers, of course," Seto said, inching closer to her. She shook her head.
"I couldn't."
"You're gonna have to."
"But, what would--"
"This is someone's life," Seto said seriously. He sighed. "Asenath! Remember what you saw in your dreams? Remember, all those incredible things you painted on the walls? Do you?" Asenath lowered her head, running her hand through Sekhem's dark hair. "They won't come true. The future won't be a reality if you don't do this!!"
Asenath remembered, alright. The incredible visions of the future the gods had given her in dreams ever since she could remember... The only person who knew being Seto. Even her father's priests couldn't see as far as she had.
She had seen the day her brother died on the day he was born.
And he hadn't died by a snake bite.
"I don't get it, Seto," she said, shaking her head. "It doesn't make sense. Why didn't I see this coming? I saw things more incredible then this!" Seto shrugged.
"From what I've heard, that future you saw wasn't too fun," he commented. He sat thoughtfully for a moment. "...Especially 'cause we all end up dead...." [1] Neither of them spoke for awhile. Asenath was turning things over in her mind.
Do I do it? Do I risk it? Do I risk the amazing future they all hold by doing this? She glanced at Seto. He nodded.
"You have to do it soon, before the mummification process begins," he explained slowly. "Or it won't work." Asenath gasped.
"Th-that's today!"
"You'd better hurry up, cousin," he said, pulling a mitsukai from the tree above him. The petals flew into the breeze blowing by.
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Aklia looked dead herself. She was lying on her stomach on her bed, her face buried in a pillow, sobbing uncontrollably. She had been there since she found out last night that Yami had died. She had missed him by mere minutes.
Helena pushed the curtain back and entered the room, walking up to the bed.
"...Miss Aklia....?" she said softly. Aklia lifted her head gently, not recognizing the voice of the servant. She had streaks down her copper cheeks from her tears, and her eyes were red-rimmed. Her shoulders were shaking and she was crying so hard she was nearly coughing. Helena knelt beside the bed.
"W-what?" Aklia stammered. Helena cast her eyes to the floor.
"My... My mother told me to get you," she explained softly. Aklia blinked.
"Oh...?"
"She said you have t-to see Pharaoh," she explained. She looked up at Aklia, tears running down her face. "Y-you have to bless Prince-sama's body, as his future wife." Aklia nodded.
"Do I have to go now...?" Aklia asked softly. Helena shook her head.
"My mother told Pharaoh to let you be awhile," she said, standing up. She brushed off her skirt, bowed, then turned to leave the room. She stopped in the doorway, her hand resting on the pane. She looked back at Aklia, who was staring out the window at the grey skies.
"Miss Aklia?"
"Yes?"
"I am very sorry," Helena said, then she left the room.
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Teana stared at her hands, not quite focused. She could see them, but she wasn't entirely aware of them. She didn't even feel like she was really there. She felt transparent, invisible and insignificant; as if she didn't exist at all, and were only a shadow, watching all the turmoil around her. She still hadn't fully comprehended the extent of the situation. Her mind simply refused to register the facts.
She knew that Yami was dead. Every time this thought crossed her mind, her brain fought back.
He's not dead; the torches went out because of a breeze--
--It's all an elaborate hoax to get you away from him--
--He's alive and well, you'll see--
But somewhere, deep in her heart, she knew that Yami was truly dead. The Prince of Egypt had died. Why would they do some elaborate plan against her when they didn't even knew who she was? That doesn't make sense. It just... doesn't.
Teana laid against the wall, her eyes squeezed shut. People were yelling and calling, speaking in hushed voices and raging out loud. They were running by her without a glance, too concerned with themselves to pay her any mind. She wanted to push herself against the wall and become part of it, dissolve into the deep, thick, white granite, just harden and stay there forever, watching passer byers go by. She shivered and shook, tears frothing out of her closed eyes.
"Yami..." she whispered, curling into a ball. She peeked up momentarily, seeing someone else do the same as she. A young girl was lying against the wall of a home, pulling her skirt over her knees. Her mother came over, and hurriedly scooped the sickly girl up. Many children were becoming sick; this always happened when something like this occurred. The gods punish the people for awhile, then they're rage is gone and they live peacefully again. But at the cost of many lives.
Teana wished her mother was there to come and help her, hug her and save her. But only the gods knew if her dear mother was still alive.
With difficulty, Teana managed to push herself up, so she was now standing against the wall. Her legs felt weak and numb, her entire body shivering. Was she sick herself? Would she die along with all those children who are sacrificed to sickness?
...Then I'd be with Yami... Teana thought to herself, sliding down the wall once more. She decided she didn't care if she got sick and died.
....It's not like anyone cared about her anyway...
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Ankumanukanon didn't want to do it. But he had to. It wasn't right, in his mind, but no matter what, it had to be done. Doing it would make Yami's death so much more real to him. He didn't want it to be real. He wanted it to be all a big misunderstanding. There was no way this could be happening. A mistake.
Yes... A mistake. A father isn't supposed to watch his son die. He isn't supposed to be responsible for burying his son. It's supposed to be the other way around. A father shouldn't have to wait for two months as his son is mummified. No. It's not supposed to be this way.
But it was.
With difficulty, Ankumanukanon drew back the curtain that covered the doorway and walked into the room. He hated this ritual; it was stupid. At the time it had been created, he hadn't minded, but now he did. He stopped as he reached the bed.
Lying before him was the body of his eldest son. He was covered in a white sheet, completely hiding him. Ankumanukanon bent down and carefully lifted Yami's body into his arms, the sheet still covering him. His skin was cold to the touch, and his body fell limply into his arms. He was very heavy, Ankumanukanon nearly staggering with his dead weight. His arms hung from his side, his skin nearly white. His fingers slightly curled, his arm thin, his skin cold. Ankumanukanon carried his son into a large chamber with large torches lit around. Doorways were covered with thick doors with peepholes. The people were waiting for when the Pharaoh let Yami's body down onto the table.
A stone table lay before him. Slowly, Ankumanukanon lowered Yami's body onto the table, pushing his stray arm beside him.
Slowly, he pulled the white sheet from his body. Ankumanukanon bit his lower lip as his eyes fell upon Yami's limp body. He had been dressed in a long, white tunic that reached his feet, his skin nearly as white. His stray arm lay palm-up, as if beckoning the Pharaoh. His head lay to the side, his eyes closed, looking like he was asleep.
There were no vital signs of life. No breathing, not heartbeat, no pulse. His body was cold, his skin white. He didn't move at all.
There was no mistaking it.
Ankumanukanon leaned over him, his hands down on the stone table. He couldn't take his eyes off of the still body before him. It was almost too much for him to bear. Carefully, Ankumanukanon reached out towards Yami, brushing his bangs away from his face. The golden crown, with the embossed eye, had been placed on his forehead. Ankumanukanon gently traced the shape of his face with his fingers, stopping at his chin. His skin was cool and smooth, almost waxy to the touch. Ankumanukanon knelt down beside the table, beside Yami's head.
With great care, Ankumanukanon lifted Yami's head. He brought Yami's forehead to his own, something he did when Yami was just a baby. Except, Yami didn't respond. He remained still and lifeless.
Ankumanukanon knew that they were waiting outside of the large room for him to bless Yami's body, and then some of the priests would come in and wash Yami's body down with oils and water. Ankumanukanon remained in the same position for awhile, just holding Yami's head in his hands. Eventually he lowered Yami's head back to the granite, pushing his bangs back, and touching the golden crown.
Ankumanukanon bent down and kissed Yami's cheek, tears falling down his face.
"I love you, Atem," he whispered, shaking his head. "This.... Wasn't supposed to happen." Ankumanukanon stood straight, and stared down at Yami. He then placed his fingers on Yami's chest, over his heart, and stood momentarily. He felt nothing. He pressed down gently, opening the doorway for his baa to be able to leave his body when necessary.
Then he retracted his hand, turned and left, wiping his face with his arm.
He would never get used to something like this.
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Asenath ran, tripping over herself as she went. She purposely wore a short, black tunic so she would be able to run more efficiently, and she was still tripping over herself.
The people stared at her as she ran blindly through the city, tears flying from her eyes like tiny, shimmering crystals. She powered on, her feet pounding the stone city ground, trying to reach the river. She had to get there before the mummification process on her brother began.
Or it would be too late.
"--I wonder what she's doing--"
"--I think it's grief--"
"--She must be doing something ceremonial--" Asenath heard the assumptions and then questions being thrown about around her. She didn't care. Her mind was set on reaching that damn river before Yami was lost forever. Seto had reminded her of the one thing she could do; the last risk she could take.
She could give the one thing that was prized by her family back to the people who had given it to her.
Her mortal protection. In the form of a strong and powerful falcon... A kaa so great that she was lucky to be prided of it.
As she ran through the dimming lights of dusk, her mind drifted back to what Seto had said.
"You realize you're giving your life, Asenath," he said. "Once you do this, there is no going back."
"I am aware of the circumstances, Seto," she replied. "I know what's in store for me."
"What?"
She closed her eyes and allowed her tears of grief to fall freely.
Asenath closed her eyes.
"Immortality."
"Isn't that a good thing?"
Asenath could see the docks ahead of her. The shore was rising before her quickly.
"No. The godly protection over me, the shield that protects me from the world's pains... The choice of being relieved from life. All that will be taken away if I give him this. My kaa... is unlike any other."
Her hand clutched the Card tightly, her fingers sliding over the golden edge. She stepped onto the bright sand, darkness falling rapidly. The gods darkened the sky because they knew what was coming.
"So, you're going to do it. All for a spoiled prince."
"No. Not for the prince."
She pulled the Card off, holding it before her. She held it high, letting the dying sun reflect the light off of it. A strong, thin shimmer of light beamed the Card, a strange aura dripping off of it like water. Water that formed into air.
"Not the prince?"
"Not the aura that is enveloping him, no."
"I call for thee, great God of the Dead," she called, a strong wind picking up. It swirled around her and seemed to take shape, swirling in a giant whirlwind around her.
"Not for a prince.... But for my younger brother."
"I offer you the Binding Soul of the Card, a kaa so great and powerful as to protect me... to return the divine soul of Atem-Ankumanukanon!" she called. The wind seemed to slow to a narrow stop, just being a gentle breeze picking up her hair. The Nile whipped at her ankles, the freezing water chilling her feet.
The people of the city had noticed the darkness falling around them. They noticed the sun turning blood red, the sky turning pale rose, streaked of blue and yellow streaking through the sky. People stared in awe, many not knowing what was happening.
Seto was standing on a balcony of the palace, his hands gripped tightly around the bar, staring at the sky.
"She's doing it," he said, shaking his head. "What a fool."
Inside the deep chamber, where Yami's body had been placed, his entire body had been washed with water. A servant was now pouring oil and wine in a jar, mixing the two to make a very silvery-type liquid. He held it up for a priest so he could dip his hand in and begin washing Yami's body with the substance.
Asenath had to act quickly; once they removed his organs, it was useless.
Asenath waited for Osiris's answer.
"To prove my loyalty to him," she called, "I'll recite his favorite verse of his favorite prayer." She took a deep breath, and began reciting it.
"Thy son Horus hath ascended, thy throne, and all life is with him. Millions of years minister unto him, and millions of years hold him in fear. The company of the Gods are his servants, and they hold him in fear." [2]
The sky changed colors. It became more orange then red, the sun lighting up to a more peaceful yellow.
Asenath held the Card up high, and a strange, blue aura surrounded her. It pulled at her body and at the Card, trying to drain every last ounce of the Binding Soul to the gods.
A white aura ripped off of her, making her shiver and shake. She clamped her eyes shut, thinking to herself It'll be over soon, it'll be over soon.
She had no idea that taking a portion of her soul from her body would hurt so damn much. Her body felt as if raged with fever and fatigue, falling to her knees in a defeated fashion. Her hands slid into the sand, her shoulders heaving with every breath. She gripped at the sand and felt it sift through her hands.
"Ya...Mi..." she whispered, the last of her soul being tugged away. The sky brightened; the sun became a normal pale yellow. It returned to the mid-afternoon. The gods had gotten their sacrifice.
And Asenath was left with a shimmering, white orb floating before her. She grabbed at it and fell to the sand, the orb in her hand. She opened her eyes and stared at the orb.
"Brother," she whispered. She smiled and took a deep breath, pushing herself up. She was so damn weak...
I... can't stop, she thought to herself. I don't.... want to be too late. She stood, shaking slightly. She looked at the orb in her hand.
"...I found you..." she whispered, holding the soul over her heart.
...Now was the matter of getting it to Yami before it was too late....
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[1] Seto's quote: what I mean here is that Asenath has seen their future. Like, the Egyptian Arc future. Which they all died the first time. Remember? Yeah, that's how the Pharaoh and his priests died. The whole sacrificing-to-Items-thing. That's what he's talking about:D
[2] Prayer: my fave verse from the "Prayer to Osiris." I use it in two other fics.
[ahahaha, more evil cliffies. Funness Wee! Will Asenath make it? Can she return Yami's soul in time? Tune in next week, folks! Next Chap: "He isn't just the prince..."]
Shibby-One