(He returned! Nyah:3 It's been about two years now since I started my new account… wee!)
Light the Flame
Chapter Twelve
He Returns
Yami never realized what a sight Kemet was until he returned to it after three years.
It was nearly midnight, and Yami, Jono and Tiet still had a day's worth of riding until they reached Kemet. Which is why they decided to camp out instead of riding into the night.
Yami was sitting cross-legged, a cup in his hands. Angel layed down beside him, nudging his leg.
"I bet you're thirsty?" Yami asked the horse. Angel didn't respond, just nudged him more. Yami lowered the cup to him and let him lap water out of it. 1
"Well, we're not far now, Yami," Jono said, glancing into the distance. "See it? See that tiny dot?" Yami squinted.
"Yeah, I see… something."
"That's the city." Yami nodded and sighed. The sky above them was dark blues and blacks, with little dots for stars. Yami stared up at the sky wistfully.
"Man, will they be surprised to see we survived," Jono was saying to Tiet.
"Ya, I know. Betcha they all thinks tha' 'da two of us are dead, 'eh?" Tiet said, punching Jono's shoulder playfully.
"Ow, that's my hurt shoulder."
"Oh, sorry."
"I bet you are." Yami smiled as he listened to them bicker. He hadn't heard their incessant bickering in three years, and it was really strange – and fun – to remember the two and to be with them. Yami turned a bit to face them.
"We should go to sleep now, Yami," Jono said, lying on his stomach on his blanket. Yami stretched his shoulders and did the same. Tiet rolled onto his back, staring at the two.
"Ya know, 'dere gonna be real suhprised to see you, Yami," Tiet noted, blinking his green eyes. " 'Dere gonna be like 'Whoa! 'Dis kid just keeps comin' back! Nothin'll kill 'im!" Yami laughed as Jono whacked Tiet over the head.
"It's 'da truth, though," Tiet countered to Jono's strike. "Right, Yami?" Yami was silent.
"Jono, he's right. Their reactions will… be… stunned." He looked up. Then he sighed. "At least I get to see my father again before he dies." It was silent for awhile as Yami rolled onto his back, too, and stared up at the sky. Jono did the same, and Tiet was already like that.
"How did my father get sick, anyway?" Yami asked no one in particular.
"Well, he wasn't really sick until recently, but… I think… his wife dying—"
"Wait," Yami said, sitting up. "His wife? As in my mother?" Jono sat up as well, turning to Yami. He lowered his eyes to the sand.
"It was so long ago, I almost forgot," he said softly. He looked up again, and then glanced at Jono. Jono shrugged. "Your mother… she died only a few months after they gave up searching. She just kind of… crumpled, almost."
"She got real sick," Tiet added. "And then one day, she just died. And 'den your father, turned out he was also real sick. No one's realleh sure as to how 'r why 'dey were sick, 'r what actually killed yer mother, but somethin' did."
"We think it was the possibility that you would never come back," Jono added. "It's hard for any parent, even Pharaoh or his wife, to lose a child. But… three times?"
"I 'dink it just took it's toll on 'dem," Tiet said seriously. "I mean, first yew almost die when yer born. 'Den 'dirteen years later, you die again, but come back somehow. 'Den you leave the city to wandeh around in th' desert? I mean, I suppose tha' would worry me to absolute death if that were my child." Yami sighed. He never really thought about the huge toll it would take on his family. He had been so completely selfish when he left… All he could think about was himself and his needs, his wants. He had figured that his parents were doing these things to him out of spite, but he never realized just how much they loved him. His mother risked her life to give birth to him, and also with Sekhem as well. And his father sacrificed so much so they would be raised well, as well as Asenath.
Even as the conversation changed to other things, and eventually Tiet and Jono fell asleep, Yami thought about his family. He remembered times when he was very small, running throughout the vast palace with the sun streaming through tall windows. He remembered climbing a stone wall to see the entire city from a beautiful garden. He remembered so many wonderful things…
"Mother," he whispered, a few tears grazing his cheeks. He wiped them away hurriedly and closed his eyes. He listened to soft breathing around him, Angel snorting off to his side. It was probably early the next morning already. As he remembered, he fell asleep.
"…How we'll go abou' doing 'dis, aye?" Tiet was saying the next morning. Yami was walking behind the two, catching whiffs of what they were saying.
"…Idea," Jono replied sullenly. The city gates were looming in the distance. Yami tugged on Angel's reins to get him to go faster.
"Well, here goes nothin'," Tiet murmured as the gates approached. The guards at the gates let them in, recognizing Jono and Tiet. Yami was walking between them by now, so so the guards didn't notice the shorter of the trio.
Yami was in shock.
He now knew what foreigners felt like.
Near the entrance to the city, tall obelisks loomed over a market place with lace curtains hanging from them. People bustled about, although there was a nervous tension on the air. The sounds of horses and other animals could be heard in the distance. House upon house were in the far distance, and then the palace stretched into the morning sky.
"Whoa…" Yami breathed. The trio walked their horses through the streets, Tiet and Jono saying hi to people along the way. People were glad and surprised to see them back so soon.
"Glad you made it safely," one man said. Jono smiled. Yami just kept looking around. He never knew what it was like to first walk into the city. It was overwhelming, breathtaking. If he were a foreigner trying to invade, just the feeling this place gave off, the feeling of power and wealth would diverge him from trying to defeat this empire.
"Tiet, why were you guys gone, anyway?" Yami asked as they got closer to the palace. Tiet bent down near to him.
"We were trying to scout out the borders of the land out there, but we were attacked and got off track."
"Oh."
They tied up their horses in a stall near the palace in the town center, then proceeded up the stairs to the palace.
When they reached the top, Yami looked up at the tall palace. He had to admit, it was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. The stories he had been told by Asenath when he was younger certainly were true.
"Hey, look, Asenath an' Seto, right over 'dere," Tiet noted, nodding into the courtyard. Jono smiled.
"C'mon, Yami. Let's go surprise your sister."
"Alright," Yami said, following the two. He stayed behind the gate and peered in as Tiet and Jono walked in.
Yami observed his sister and his cousin closely as they approached. He noted how Seto had gotten a lot taller and older. Although, he supposed he looked the same way. Asenath seemed the same, maybe a little more worn, though. They were sitting underneath the mitsukai tree, Asenath telling something to Seto. Yami watched the two.
"Hey, Asenath! Seto!" Jono said amicably, Tiet grinning. Asenath looked up and smiled, standing up.
"You made it back alright," she exclaimed happily, placing a hand on Jono's shoulder. Jono shrugged. Seto stood next to Asenath and frowned at Tiet's hand.
"What happened?" he asked, looking up at Tiet's face. Tiet shrugged.
"Oh, this? I just injured myself is all. Th' people we met out 'dere helped us so much."
"People? Wait a minute, what happened to you two?" Asenath asked. "You were only gone three days."
"Yeah, I know," Jono admitted. "We were ambushed about a day into the job, but a couple of men from a family livin' out there helped us and brought us back."
"Family? What?" Seto asked. Tiet sighed.
" 'Dese two guys live wit' 'dere entire family – a huge family – up in 'dose mountains south o' here. It's one hell of a group up 'dere. 'Dere are lots of 'em, and othas not in 'dere family, but in their clan or sommat livin' around 'em in other places in the mountains," Tiet explained. Jono nodded.
"Yes, they were very kind. They have strange customs though; their youngest family member and their oldest had to meet us. If they liked us, everyone in between should, too."
"Well? Did they?" Asenath asked. Jono smiled.
"Yeah. This little boy was the youngest – about a year old – and the boy's grandmother was the oldest." Asenath smiled. Tiet motioned over to where Yami was hiding behind the brick wall.
"We brought ba' the father o' the little one, since he's supposed to be pretty smart or somethin', I suppose," Tiet said, his grin widening. Asenath raised her eyebrows.
"Wha…?"
"He means me," Yami said, stepping out from behind the wall. He placed a hand on the wall and leaned on it, smiling.
Asenath looked up… and froze. Seto did a double take and gasped. Asenath, frozen completely, just stared as Yami made his way over, wearing a large, blue cloak. Asenath's stunned expression broke into a smile, as she ran over to her younger brother.
"Yami…" she said softly. She wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly. Tears slid down her cheeks as she embraced him.
"Atemu," she whispered, holding onto him. "I've missed you so much."
"I missed you, too, Nefer-Asen," Yami said to her softly, smiling. Asenath wiped her face from her tears.
Seto walked over, placing a hand on Yami's shoulder. Asenath let her brother go as Seto just stared at Yami.
"You're… alive," he said incredulously. He shook his head. "You've been alive the entire time."
"Yes," Yami said, smiling up at Seto. Seto closed his eyes and sighed.
"If you had any idea how worried we were… Ah… argh," he said, smiling. "You're safe."
"My, Seto, so unlike you to forgive so easily," Yami said, shaking his head. Seto took his hand from Yami's shoulder and just rolled his eyes.
"We thought we'd lost you forever this time," Asenath said.
"This time," Tiet said, causing her to laugh.
"I know," Asenath said, smiling. "No matter what happens, he never seems to die…" she trailed off as the others laughed. Her smile faded. She glanced over the stone wall to see the sun in the dusky sky.
Asenath sighed. Just thinking about it made her want to cry. But if she did, they would question her, and she might blurt it out.
Instead, she just glanced at Seto. He was happily talking to Yami, but then caught Asenath's eye. He stopped talking, just watching her.
"Huh? Asenath?" Yami asked, looking up at her. Asenath stared down at her brother.
She opened her arms and hugged him, digging her face into his back. She fell onto her knees, crying right into his cloak. All three men stared at Asenath. Yami was a bit shocked, then looked down at Asenath. Asenath, shaking, held onto him, licking her lips and just holding onto him. She was nearly sobbing into his back.
"Asenath, what is it? What's wrong?" He asked. She let him go and she sobbed into her hands. Yami knelt down in front of her.
"Asenath? Asenath, please, what's wrong?" he whispered. Asenath glanced up at him.
"I don't want you to die," she whispered. She was shaking terribly hard.
"What? Asenath, I'm fine, look! I've been fine the whole time!" he said. Asenath shook her head.
"That's not what I mean!" she exclaimed. She couldn't do it. There was no way. "I don't want you to die ever!" She cried, wrapping her arms around herself. "It's not supposed to be this way…"
"What the hell is she going on about?" Jono asked. Tiet shrugged. Seto sighed.
He knew.
He knew her secret.
He just didn't realize how close it was becoming.
"The prince returned!"
"I thought he was dead!"
"He survived, somehow—"
"I wonder what happened to that servant girl—"
"Why did he return?"
"What will become of him now?"
Whispers and rumors ran around the city that very night. Yami had surprised Sekhem, and Sekhem had surprised Yami. People who were in the palace daily, or people in his own family, were overly shocked to see him. Sekhem had nearly jumped him when he saw him, Yami being overwhelmed since Sekhem had cleared his own height. Now both of his siblings were taller then him. Other people were glad and surprised to see him, Mahaado having much of the same reaction as Seto.
Yami was sitting on the stone steps up to his father's throne, Sekhem beside him, talking to his brother.
"So, what's his name?" Sekhem asked. Yami smiled.
" 'Zvallah'. It means 'Little Gift' in their language." Sekhem whistled.
"It is amazing that Teana had a baby. Zvallah." Sekhem said the foreign name a few more times before smiling. "I want to meet him."
"He's your nephew, I'm sure you'll get to meet him someday," Yami explained. "When he's older, at least." Sekhem leaned onto his forearms.
"Why did you come back, Atemu?" he asked suddenly. "Was it because…"
"Yes, because Jono told me that our father is dying." Yami sighed and put his head in his hands. "How could something like this happen?"
"I don't know," Sekhem said softly. The thirteen-year-old leaned close to his brother and put a hand on his shoulder. "Things happen that we can't explain."
"But why did it have to be this?" Yami said. He sighed again. Sekhem said nothing. "There's no way it could get worse."
"I hate to tell you," Sekhem said, staring out the window, "but it certainly can. Once Father dies, not only will those foreigners who attacked three years ago try again, but Chaos will happen." Yami perked up at the sound of the old term.
"Chaos? But—"
"Because he'll be dead," Sekhem explained. "So there'll be no one to control the Sennen Puzzle. It won't let me, and you don't want to. Yami, you're literally the only person who can control it." Sekhem leaned in closer. "It doesn't matter what you did or who says what. To the gods, you were born first. You are the first-born son, Atemu. You – not me – will inherit the Puzzle." Yami said nothing in return. He knew this fact. He knew it well. Chaos would consume all living things. All breathing, living things that have one once of light inside them. It was the reason the Items were created, to keep this Chaos, this darkness, away.
"Oh, shit," Yami whispered. "I know. I know all of it. But… if I were to take that responsibility… I would have to—"
"Become Pharaoh," Sekhem answered. He tightened his grip on his brother's shoulder. "Maybe you should finally reconsider. Maybe you should be Pharaoh—"
A shudder, a tremble of fear ran through his body. Ever since he could remember, this tremble entered his body when he thought of himself as Pharaoh. It was a strange feeling. Almost as if, somewhere, in the back of his mind…
"…Maybe I should," Yami said. The voice in his mind shouted NO! DON'T! YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT'LL HAPPEN IF YOU DO!
That voice reminded him of Asenath. Yami, wondering if Sekhem knew this big 'mysterious' thing Asenath had seen, leaned closer to him.
"Sekhem," Yami whispered, "Remember, three years ago, on the eve of the war, when Asenath had that… dream?"
"The one that freaked her out so much? Yes," Sekhem said gravely. He shuddered. "I've never seen her like that before."
"Do you know what she saw?" Yami asked. Sekhem sighed.
"I wish I did. But Asenath refuses to tell me." Yami sighed and leaned back on the palm of his hands. He closed his eyes.
"Sekhem… I may have a hunch as to what Asenath saw that night, that scared her so badly," Yami said, turning to Sekhem with a serious look. "I think I know what she predicted that freaked her out so much." Sekhem glanced around; checking to make sure Asenath wasn't in earshot. Then he leaned in.
"What?"
"I think… the reason she was so scared… was because… She predicted…" he took a deep breath. He lowered his voice to a whisper.
"She saw my death."
"Momma?" Zvallah said, tugging on Teana's skirt. Teana turned around and crouched down to her son, pulling him into the air.
"Yes, Zvallah? What is it?" She asked, smiling at him. She held him in her arms like she did when he was an infant. Zvallah put his arms around Teana's neck.
"Where Da?" he asked for the umpteenth time. Teana sighed and rolled her eyes playfully.
"Zvallah, I've told you so many times," She said, tickling his stomach playfully. Zvallah laughed at the action. "He's gone for a little while, but he'll come home soon, okay?" Zvallah nodded, leaning against her. Teana rubbed his back and held him close. She stared out at the sinking sun, the light washing over her.
She didn't tell Kenneth; she didn't tell Sati, or Scenna, or even Savannah what she held in her heart. She knew the moment Yami left what would happen. She hugged Zvallah close and squeezed her eyes shut, but she knew.
She would never see him again. She took a shuddering breath and tried not to cry. She didn't want Zvallah to know. She knew that Yami would never come back. How she knew, she was unsure. All she remembered was when she first met Asenath.
She knew, like most people in Kemet, that Asenath was not a normal girl. From birth, she has been somewhat a prodigy. Things that the gods foresee, they accidentally slip to her in her unconscious, causing her dreams to be foretelling of the near and far future. Everyone knew this. Everyone knew that Asenath couldn't speak of what she saw until twenty-four hours before it happened.
But she knew the other truth as well. The one that chilled her, and others, to the bone. The fact, the very fact, that Asenath, one night, had a terrible, frightening, horrible, morose dream. A dream in which, she saw the very end of this city.
The city she lived in now. Not Teana's home in the mountains, but Kemet. The end of the city's use and existence.
But what did that mean? Teana wondered endlessly. She knew that Yami knew as well; that's how she knew. But he was confused, too.
What was the truth that Asenath saw that night? That left her weak and shaking, cold and horrified, so horrified she was almost sick. All Teana knew was that she had a meeting with her father, and when she came out, she couldn't stand to look at her younger brother for the entire day.
What had Asenath seen that horrible night? Teana wiped her tears away with a cold hand. She was scared. As scared as anyone. She sighed and closed her eyes.
"I love you… Atemu," she whispered, her arms shaking. Zvallah opened his eyes and palced a hand on his mother's cheek.
"What wrong?" he asked, oblivious to his mother's pain. Teana just smiled and kissed his forehead gently, brushing the bangs from his forehead.
(x3 sorry for such a long wait for an update. I was having major compy issues. Anyway, I'm back. Oooh, it's getting close to the end… ;.; nuuuu! Anyway… Yeah… things are starting to come together. Because Yami and Asenath have a mental link, the thing she frets about (seeing his death in a dream three years ago) made it into his brain, tucked away in the back that gives him a mental fear of being Pharaoh. Why? Because he knows in the back of his mind that soon after becoming Pharaoh, he dies. n.n;; Well, anyway… the next chappie, Yami's father dies:o Next chap: Turning Point. I wonder…)
Shibby-One…
…has 'Dare You To Move' stuck in her head.
