Chapter 5: Teaching of the Roses
I feel so adored this time. Four of you out there reviewed! Starry eyes Anyway, a reviewer told me that Akenadin didn't get the Millennium Eye until Seth was four. I am making this a little alternate universe. In fact, a lot of this story is going to be alternate universe, like the final climatic battle between Seth and Yami, but I'm not going to give away the ending.
Anyway, I just want to thank everybody who reviewed this humble story of mine. Seriously though, I am starting to think that the Yu-Gi-Oh section of this website is starting to get so crowded that no one can read it. Oh well, these are the trials and tribulations of a budding writer.
Disclaimer: Do we really have to go through this meaningless exercise? Sighs Might as well get on with it. I, Phoenixsoul, own nothing relating to this anime except wishful thinking. Happy? Lawyers stalk away with disappointed air Wipes sweat from foreheadOkay, on with the story.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Celestia awoke to a bright morning with the sun shining in her face. Smiling happily, she twirled out of her room in a simple white chiton, contrary to what other priests wore. Celestia greeted everyone with a 'good morning' and bounded away to breakfast, not noticing all the confused looks they gave her. 'I'm so glad I'm not on that schedule Mas-Ne-Ra gave me yesterday' she thought gratefully.A priest of Ptah approached her. "What are you doing in the Golden Sun Temple, little urchin?" he growled. She blinked, confused. He grabbed her thin wrist and started dragging her to the door.
"Hey! What are you doing to me? Let me go!" Celestia cried. Didn't he recognize her?
"The only people allowed here are priests or those training to be priests! Obviously you are not one of them, so you belong outside! Riffraff!" he berated her. Celestia wrenched her wrist out of his grasping fingers and darted away, quick as a snake.
She ran through the halls, almost knocking over several statues as she passed in a hurry. 'Wait a moment Mas-Ne-Ra mentioned an illusion yesterday! Is it still on me?' She paused at a piece of metal polished brightly so that it reflected her image. The girl who stared back at her had black hair, brown eyes, and a trace of superiority in her emotionless eyes. She gulped. Suddenly magic seemed a lot better when she could undo it.
The priest who bothered her before suddenly appeared with a pair of temple guards at the end of the hallway. Celestia looked the other way. Dead end. "Mas-Ne-Ra help me!" she pleaded. A white rose petal floated by her nose and soon more followed in a torrent of petals. Celestia held her breath but instead of her new friend appearing, a crystal dragon filled the space in front of her. It roared and the three would-be heroes skidded to a humiliating halt. The dragon spoke.
"This child is protected by the gods. Harm one hair on her head and your souls shall suffer for an eternity in the clutches of the Shadow Realm!" it said menacingly. They nodded mutely and ran away. The Shadow monster turned to her and bowed saying, "my mistress would have me tell you that no one shall bother you again for she has implanted in their minds a memory spell that will make them think you always looked like that. She bids you to go to the shrine she showed you yesterday for training." Celestia nodded and said a meek "Thank you sir," before doing as she was bid. The crystal dragon disappeared in a flurry of petals.
'Flashy, much?' Celestia thought, and then shook her head; it wasn't her place to question her patroness' actions. She looked at the brick wall, bewildered. "How does it open again?" she mumbled. "Ah.... Let me through?" Nothing. "Open Sesame?" Still nothing. "Become something that I can pass through because I, Celestia, Chosen of Mas-Ne-Ra command you to- eeekk!!!!!!!" she shrieked as an invisible force pulled her through and dumped her unceremoniously on her nose. Celestia sat up, wriggling her nose. "By Ra, that hurt," she muttered rebelliously.
"Spare me the theatrics and sit down," the goddess commanded from a chair by one of the many tables that dotted the room. The girl sat on a cushion by her feet. "Uh, if you could do that to me, why didn't you do it before?" she asked. Mas-Ne-Ra lifted an eyebrow.
"Because it's so fun to see you try," she informed her unlikely acolyte. Celestia rubbed her nose gingerly and murmured something about strange goddesses. She pretended not to hear. "Today, I'm going to ask you a series of questions to test your knowledge of magic, since you've probably picked up a few odds and ends of it being shifted around as much as you have. First question: What is the Shadow Realm?" She asked.
"A place of darkness, and light," Celestia added quickly as she saw her patroness' face turn an interesting shade of pink. "Mostly light," she said, and Mas-Ne-Ra's face returned to its natural color. "Ah...yes. A place of light where Shadow monsters are kept," the goddess' face started turning a deeper shade of red. "No, no, no! Where the Shadow creatures live until they are summoned!" Celestia cried. She made a mental note. "Remember that the Shadow Realm and Monsters are creations of Mas-Ne-Ra and are not to be slandered, even in jest!' She wiped perspiration from her brow.
"Next question: How are Shadow Monsters summoned?" the goddess asked. Celestia laughed, embarrassed, and said, "I'm sorry, I don't know. Y'see, I was never told how because my curriculum didn't include that." Mas-Ne-Ra frowned.
"You'll have to learn. Since your education was ignored, you'll have to work extra hard to catch up. This is one of the most important parts of your training!" to herself, she muttered, "Especially if you're going to be the best in ages." She, however, turned a blind eye to Celestia's inquisitive glance, not about to divulge the reason of her statement.
Celestia hardly dared to think that her ears heard correctly. After all, how could she, a mere orphan, no, motherless child hope to amount to such a position? Mas-Ne-Ra frowned: she had read Celestia's thoughts as plainly as an open book.
"Celestia, one of the trademarks of your family is the ability to produce seemingly uncaring and emotionless face. You really have to practice that since priestesses are to be feared and respected, not scorned for tenderness and inexperience."
"I was just initiated yesterday!"
"I know, but you have potential and you should have already learned how to get in the sanctuary already. I have high standards." The goddess' flashing eyes gave hint to the fact that she was impatient with the girl at the very least. Celestia lowered her eyes in fear.
"We might as well begin now. First, you should always be able to look at someone in the eye, no matter how high in rank they are. Second, you should- wait, grab a sheet of papyrus and some ink and copy this down."
Mas-Ne-Ra began to list the various basic guidelines for facial behavior. Celestia's pen worked busily over the papyrus, writing down various hieroglyphics in the basic everyday form called hieratic. It could be a pain sometimes to draw out all the formal pictures and at the rate her temporary teacher was going, she would need to develop a faster way of writing.
She almost groaned out loud at the thought of four years of this routine. And the work was supposed to get harder! 'How am I going to get through the next few years? Oh well, it'll all work out in the end. Maybe I can even get back at that Akenadin who calls himself my father in the future!' Maybe the training wouldn't be so bad after all.
Sorry this is so late; I was a bit caught up with recent events, namely, moving. Even so, I know that moving doesn't take that long so I will try to make future chapters longer. Also, I'm sorry for those of you that were hoping for a Seto/Celestia romance, but that would be kind of wrong. She's his TWIN SISTER for god's sake!!! If I wrote a sibling romance, I would sort of have to bear that on my conscience for eternity, just so you know.
Thanks are in order for the following reviewers:
Momijigirl
Surfergurl16
Roae
Seraphine
jinx
Oblivavation
Elusia
-Phoenixsoul
