Author's Note: Hey guys! I am starting another story. I am horrible I know, but don't worry this one won't be long.
Summary: A Cinderella Story with a twist. Yuugi is a mute kitchen boy, who has been in the servos of the Mazaki family for all of his life. With little in life to look forward to, Yuugi has accepted his fat e of marring one of the village women, who want nothing more than his beauty and hard working attitude. Yami is am unruly prince, who wants nothing more than to be in a loving marriage rather than marring a woman or Heirbinger (a male who can become pregnant and this is very rare) that his parents choose in one of three balls that are to be held in three months. What will happen when these two different, but alike, men meet?
Pairings: Yami (Atemu)/Yuugi, Seto (Seth)/Jou, Yami no Bakura (Bakura)/Ryou Bakura (Ryou), Marik (Yami no Marik)/Malik, Honda/Shizuka
Warnings: AU/ Alternate Universe, Yaoi/Slash/M&M/Male Male Pairing/Homosexuality, Physical Abuse, Implied Sexual Situations, Language, Adult Themes, Morbid Thoughts, Blood and Gore, Het/Heterosexual/F&M/Female and Male Pairings, Attempted (but unsuccessful) Rape, MPreg/Male Pregnancy, Child Abuse and Neglect.
Yuugi Writing to talk or using his hands to talk or using his eyes
"Talking"
'Thinking'
"Shadows talking"
"People who follow their destiny are often content, those who choose their own destiny are happy."
It was like any other day in the Mazaki household. The servants were waking, as the morning sun made its first appearance of the day. The servants that had already been up through the night were just now heading to bed. Lord and Lady Mazaki, along with their daughter Anzu, would be sleeping until their own personal maids came to wake them up at precisely seven o'clock.
The chicken in the yard were clucking, announcing that it was almost time for them to be fed. The pigs were still dozing, while the horses where just waking. The cows were just now being led out to the field where they would be grazing for the day.
The house was a modest estate. It was a three story house, with red bricks covering the outside. A fountain was in the back of the house; to the left of the fountain was a small vegetable garden, and to the right was the tool shed. The appearance of the house gave off a calm feeling. The servants' quarters, however, were anything but calm.
In the smallest room, farthest on the left, a young boy was being rudely awakened. Three of the older, teenage, servants had crept into his room, one holding a bucket of water while another was carrying a pail of unusable flour. The oldest of the three boys held nothing, but as he crept closer to the hay bed, he quickly pulled off the thin sheet that had been covering the small body. The next instant the two other boys dumped the water and flour on the boy.
Wide, amethyst eyes flung open in silent shock as the ice water chilled him. His arms swung out widely and his legs kicked out at the boys, who were now roaring with laughter. Once the violet eyed boy had regained his bearings, he glared at the others.
"What's wrong," laughed the oldest of the boys (he was at least a head taller than the boy in the bed, and he had dark brown hair and eyes), "is the little mute Yuugi wet?" Once again the boys roared with laughter.
In a small fit of rage, Yuugi grabbed his overused pillow and swung at the other boys.
"Oh help!" Another boy (this had blonde hair and blue eyes) called out mockingly, "The mute is going to beat us to death with a pillow!"
"Terrence, Jake, Isaac! What are you boys doing?" A stern, low voice called from behind the boys. Immediately the boys stopped laughing and stood stick straight.
"Not but a bit of fun, Madame Mai." Terrence (the oldest boy) answered cutely.
"Nothing but just a bit of fun, boys?" The blonde beauty looked at the shivering young boy, who was still in his bed and covered in flour. "You little brats think that it is fun to torment a boy who can't even call out for help! I should give you each a good lashing, but we can't afford to lose any more help! Get out of my sight before I decide that I can find other help!"
The three boys left with out another word, but not before sending Yuugi a glare for the trouble they had gotten themselves into. Yuugi answered their glare with a smug smirk.
Once the boys had left, the blonde woman turned toward her young charge. "I am sorry Yuugi." Mai said as she wiped off some of the sticky flour that was all over the boy. "I will discipline them later."
Bright, violet eyes were able to convey their thoughts to the young woman, it was alright. Grabbing a pad of paper and a piece of writing charcoal, Yuugi scribbled something on the paper. Handing the paper to his friend, Mai read the word written in elegant handwriting:
It's okay, they didn't hurt me. They just surprised me, and don't worry about disciplining them, I've got it covered.
Mai threw back her head and laughed. "They won't even know what's coming to them!" She said as she patted Yuugi's head. "Clean up as well as you can Yuugi, you're need in the kitchens."
Yuugi rolled his bright, violet eyes, but smiled and nodded none the less. Pulling out a worn out rag, Yuugi got up and headed towards the fountain where he was to clean up.
A few moments later found Yuugi dipping the rag into the cool fountain water. He had gotten the flour off of his legs and stomach as well as he could. The cold drag was currently working on Yuugi's chest neck. The sight of the light catching the drops of water as they ran down his chest and arms was addictive. The violet eyed boy knew that he was somewhat attractive, but what he didn't know was that he had many admirers.
Yuugi was undoubtedly the most beautiful man in the Mazaki house hold. Some even said that Yuugi's beauty rivaled that of the only daughter of the Lord and Lady Mazaki, Anzu. The young boy's skin was pale as snow; it seemed almost as if the sun had never touched the youth. Wild ebony and violet hair swayed with a stray breeze, as Yuugi ran the rag over his face and his golden bangs. The boy's face was soft and almost feminine with their high cheek bones and full pink lips. The most attractive feature of the boy would have to be his eyes. Large pools of amethyst were incased in thick, long, lashes and innocence seemed to pour from them.
Yuugi was quiet a beautiful young man. With his eighteen years behind him, one would think that he would have already been married and taking care of many little children. The reason that this life that one would expect was non-existing was very apparent once Yuugi opened his mouth to speak.
No sound would come out. Yuugi had never uttered a sound since he had been found in the orchard near the river years ago. He was a mute, and he was seen as someone who had been punished by the gods. No one wanted to settle down with a boy who was thought to be cursed.
How ever, this way of thinking was quickly dying as the amethyst eyed boy grew more beautiful everyday. Yuugi was a hard worker, and with out the ability to speak, he could never argue with his spouse. If times every got hard for Yuugi and his future spouse, it was a common thought that Yuugi would be able to sell his body to get them by.
The violet eyed boy shuddered at the very thought of someone, who wasn't his spouse, touching him. In fact, his body rejected any thought of even his spouse touching him. There was no one in the Mazaki household, or in the village that was a few miles away, that Yuugi held any attraction to.
It was inevitable though; his employers were beginning to get impatient with him. Soon they would start looking for a respective bride for him, and Yuugi would be forced into a loveless marriage.
A soundless sigh escaped Yuugi's lips as he pulled his only tunic over his head. His tanned breeches had been the victim of the sticky flour, as it had been the only thing he had worn to bed the night before. His white tunic was thankfully free of the mess, and he, hopefully, wouldn't get in trouble with his masters for his untidy state. Gathering the soiled rag, Yuugi ran toward the kitchens.
The young boy never noticed the figure that was so carefully studying him from afar.
Morning in the Palace also seemed calm in the morning, and just like the manor many miles away, looks were deceiving. The servant had been awake for hours, lighting fires in the fireplaces, cooking freshly cultivated eggs and bacon. Bread was baking in the ovens, and fruits were being plucked from their respectable plants.
The king and his queen were still sleeping in their room, as were all of the other nobles. That is, all but one of the nobles. A young man was sneaking through the still dark corridors of the dreary Palace. His boot covered feet barely made a sound on the cold, stone floor. Sharp, crimson eyes searched for any wayward servant that might have chanced down this hall.
Silently but quickly, the young man made his way through the castle. Normally it was nearly impossible to sneak around in the Palace. There was normally a servant or a guard around every corner, but now was different. All the servants were getting the Palace ready for the balls that were going to be held soon, and the guards were staying watch, incase any of the servants tried to steal a valuable trinket.
Once the crimson eyed boy had reached a secret, trip wall that led straight to the stables near the walls of the Palace, he quickly checked if it was safe to sneak away. Judging that it was indeed safe, the young man slipped in between the small crack of the trip wall.
The secret corridor was dark; no light entered from the outside nor were there any torches to light his way. It suited the young man fine though; darkness and the shadows were his forte, and they seemed to embrace him and guide him to his destination. Through the many twist, turns, false doors and stair ways, the young man navigated his way through with ease. After a few minute the crimson eyed man reached a stone door. Placing his ear to the door, to be sure that there was no one behind it, the young man pushed the door open.
The door had led to the back of the Royal Stables, giving the crimson eyed man the perfect opportunity to confiscate a horse. With a smirk, the man did just that.
Choosing a horse at random, the young man saddled it and brought it to the front of the stable. The horse as relatively young, only a few summers old, and it was ordinary looking with its brown coat spotted with white here and there. This horse would bring little attention to the young man, it was perfect.
Mounting the horse, the young man sped out of the stable, past a still half asleep stable boy and out of the Royal Court yard.
The young man ordered the horse into a full out gallop, knowing that it would be all too soon when the Palace Guards would be following his trail. Dust was pushed up into the air as he sped down the worn out dirt road.
Yuugi had entered the kitchen wide awake and mostly clean. It had been an already trying morning, and the young servant knew it was only going to get harder.
When Yuugi had entered through the back kitchen door, he had grabbed an apron and grabbed a basket. As the violet eyed boy walked through the large kitchen, he started to grab not-so-random food items and placed them into the basket. An egg here, a loaf of warm bread there, and a few fruits that he had picked the day before decorated the large basket. Walking through the kitchen, Yuugi was greeted by some of the older servants, while he jeered at or ignored by others. This was all a common morning ritual.
Pale hands lifted the heavy basket onto the food preparation table. It was here that Yuugi was supposed to sort out the food for it to be served to his masters with in the next half hour or so. Not wanting to waste any time, the violet eyed boy began to sort through the items.
Small hands worked quickly and efficiently, with skill that could have only come from years of practice. The fruits were placed with delicate care in a decorative bowl, the breads were placed in a fine pile on a flat plate, and the eggs were sent to the cook, for him to cook them in the family's favorite ways.
Yuugi paid no mind to the hustle and bustle that was going on around him. With the young boy paying no mind to his surroundings, he never noticed as the oldest of the three boys from that morning, Terrence, came up behind him. The smaller boy had just begun to balance the two dishes on his arms for the transport to the breakfast table. Finding this as the perfect opportunity to get back Yuugi for earlier that morning, Terrence stuck out his foot and caused the violet eyed boy to fall.
The fall would have been nothing terrible, if it had only been Yuugi that had fallen, but the mute boy had been holding the breakfast of his master s on delicate plates. As Yuugi felt his balance fail him, he instinctively let go of the plates. The resounding shatter of the beautiful plates was heard through all of the noise in the kitchen. The effect was immediate, as all sound and movement in the kitchen paused. All eyes turned to the young boy who was on the floor with his bloodied, left, forearm cradled against his body.
"What's going on here?" Mai's piercing voice cut through the silence. She pushed her way savagely through the crowd of servants. "Why aren't any of you working! You know the penalty for sloth in this house!"
"Madame Mai." a faceless servant said, drawing the ranting Mai's attention from the servants to the young boy on the ground.
"Yuugi, are you alright?" Mai dropped to the ground in front of the young boy, being mindful of the broken bloodied glass.
Violet eyes were clouded over in pain, as they tried to explain what had happened to them. Both Yuugi and Mai knew what happened to servants who broke something of their master's, one hundred lashes. It would leave any servant incapacitated for days, but Yuugi would be forced back to work before he could have the chance to fully recover. Both Mai and Yuugi also knew that it was not the young boy's fault that the plates were broken.
The young blonde woman gathered the mute boy into her arms and whispered into his ear, "Run to the river Yuugi, I will handle this. Please don't come back until I come to get you, and don't leave the river."
Yuugi shook his head. I will take the responsibility for this. His eyes said.
"Go now!"
Fear shot through the young boy. His caretaker had never yelled at him before. This meant that he just broken something extremely valuable, and the punishment was going to be severe. Yuugi wanted to protest, but Mai had already pushed him through the door.
Not having any other choice, Yuugi ran.
Author's Notes: You guys will find out about what Yuugi broke later, but remember it because it is important later on. PLEASE REVIEW!
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