Tale 8. At war with the Hittites
This story is also a variation of part of the story before's original version. It is the original way in which Ryoo returns to Nahkti. The ending I put up there was supposed make it funnier. While Ryoo is in the palace with Yugi, Atemu goes to war with the Hittites and Yugi and Ryoo get dragged along. This one will be in Atemu's POV unless I say otherwise. Some of the things here that happen like Jouno turning blue(it was Yugi who turned blue in the original version) and Yugi killing a bunch of Hittites with a broken arrow is supposed to be funny although it is much funnier when acted out with your younger sister than on paper (or computer document O.O) so…
The battle was also much less descriptive in the original version since I was Ryoo and Tokuan was Yugi so the entire story was in our POV which means that every scene Yugi and/or Ryoo isn't in, didn't or at least was only assumed, in the original version.
"What?" I exclaimed, crumpling the paper in my hands. "The Hittites! Attacking us!"
"That's what the letter said, your excellency," the messenger said.
"Uhr…" I moaned, leaning against the back of the throne. "Thank you. You may return now," I said to the man and then put my face in my hands. Being the ruler of the most advanced society of the time was so stressful. I'd swear I'd grow gray hairs by 17.
"Jouno-san," I said to the captain of the guards, "Take over and don't let anyone in. I'm quitting early today!"
He looked at me sympathetically and then shouted some orders at some passing soldiers. I got up and walked toward the stairs. Teanna was there waiting for me.
"Is everything alright, husband? You look glum…"
"Don't I always?"
"Well… you look particularly glum. Need a kiss?" she asked, walking down the stairs.
I laughed as she nuzzled me. "Now tell me what's wrong."
"The Hittites have decided to attack us for some strange reason."
"What? But we had a treaty it was sealed when you took that princess into your harem."
"Aye, I know. It's really strange I'm not really sure what to do… and I can't bring myself to kill the girl. She's really nice you know."
Teanna gave me strange look and embraced me. "Don't worry, our soldiers are much better than some stupid Hittites."
I smiled back. I sure hope so, I thought.
"I heard what happened," Yugi said as he scrubbed my back.
"Pretty bad… I mean, with dishonesty like that you just don't know when war would break out. I thought the Hittites would honor their promise."
"Well, they're not Egyptians, y'know, they have no sense of Maat!"
"Mhm…"
"Yugi? Yugi?" It was Ryoo, opening the door he saw us. "Yugi! Ahhh!" He shouted when he saw what was commencing. Overcome with embarrassment he bowed face to the floor and didn't move until I had finished bathing, drying, and dressing.
"Erm, Ryoo, you can get up now," Yugi said, "I think the Pharaoh excepts your apology. Ryoo… Ryoo?"
"It's okay, Ryoo, we all make mistakes," I said and helped him up. Overcome with gratefulness, he fell to the floor, prostrate again. I smiled and told Yugi to meet me downstairs for dinner when he got Ryoo up.
The war was a hot point at dinner that evening.
"Are you really going to have a war, Pharaoh-sama?" Ryoo asked, wide-eyed.
"Yes Ryoo, the Hittites are going to attack us! Isn't that exciting!" Yugi replied.
"No, it's not!" My wife said, "War is very dangerous and people get killed. Only idiots think war is for glory's sake."
"You don't have to be quite so blunt," I told her, "Let the boys have some fun."
"Ngh… sorry husband-sama, I just can't stand it when you or any of your friends have to be put in danger."
I smiled, Teanna could be a little too serious for her own good sometimes.
The next morning we set off for the Hittite capitol. Yugi had insisted we bring Ryoo along.
"Why are you bringing Yugi, anyway?' Teanna asked me, "A battlefield is no place for a little boy like him to be!"
"Yugi's not that little… besides… I get sort of stressed out without him around…" I explained awkwardly.
Teanna glared at me, unconvinced but she didn't bother me anymore. I dressed Teanna and the boys in warmer clothing for it was rather cold where the Hittites lived. We then all got on my chariot. I lead the army toward the Hittite's land.
The next morning, when we reached there, I sent a messenger to the King of the Hittites begging him to stop the attack and remember the treaty.
He refused so I put the city under siege. If we couldn't go back to Egypt without their entire army attacking us, they weren't going to Egypt either.
The next morning, there was white stuff all over the ground. I think it was snow. I had never seen it before but I had heard of it and was pretty sure this is what it was.
"Wow! Cool!" Yugi said playing in the cold fluffy stuff. "C'mon! Play with me!" He demanded of Jouno, dragging him into the snow. Yugi, Ryoo, and Jouno romped about in the snow for a while. While little Yugi and Ryoo had plenty of energy I started to notice Jouno was turning a bit blue. I went back inside my tent to try and plan a way to quicken the Hittite's surrender.
During lunch, we served out the rations to the soldiers I noticed Jouno was an even darker shade of blue.
"Are you sure you're alright, Jouno-san?" I asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine!" he replied as Yugi knocked him into the snow again. I grimaced and hoped Jouno wouldn't get any bluer.
Unfortunately at dinner… he had… I'd swear he was practically black.
"Um, Yugi," I said, "Please don't push Jouno-san in the snow anymore…"
"Oh… okay…" Yugi replied.
"Here, why don't you sit by the fire, Jouno," I said. Pushing him nearer. By bed time he had worn back down to a pale blue color to my relief.
I lay next to Teanna on the bed in the tent while Yugi and Ryoo snuggled together on the mat under us. Maybe Teanna was right. What if Yugi was killed. What if Teanna was killed! It would all be my fault. I whimpered incoherently and snuggled closer to Teanna. Beautiful Teanna… I couldn't sleep though. I was just too nervous. Just then, a man ran toward me.
"Ph-Pharaoh-sama!" He said, gasping.
"What?" I asked, "What's wrong?" The man just gasped and coughed. I brought him some water and let him drink some slowly.
"Are you okay now?" I asked.
"Pharaoh! The Hittites are heading towards the capitol!"
"But how? We have their capitol surrounded."
"I don't know! Maybe by a secret passage."
I had heard of those before. Digging a tunnel out of a city and attacking the enemy surrounding them.
"Thank, you," I said and put the man on one of our supply wagons.
"Jouno-san!" I yelled, shaking the blond boy.
"Huh? What time is it?" He asked.
"Jouno! The Hittite army got away and they're heading toward Memphis! Wake the troops, I'll go get the things together. Move out on the double as soon as you can!"
"Aye! Pharaoh-sama!" he saluted and ran off.
I quickly woke the boys and Teanna. Then I helped the soldiers load up the carts. As soon as all was ready we started as fast as we could back to Egypt.
When we reached Memphis, the Hittites were already there; slaughtering villagers left and right. One man was chasing a young woman holding a baby. I unsheathed my sword just in time to block his. The woman stared up at me in surprise.
"Th-thank you, Pharaoh-sama," she said.
"Don't thank me! Darn you! Just run!" I yelled at her. The woman looked nervous and confused but she got up and fled. Peasants were always so worried about not offending me. I'm sure that if I had been any other man, I'm sure she would have just run. I didn't have much time to brood on this though. The Hittite man was overpowering me but in a burst of strength, I threw him backwards.
Nahkti POV
When we had gotten rumor that the Hittites could be attacking Memphis soon, we traveled there, hoping that in the confusion, we could cause just a bit more! It was crazy when the Hittites attacked. Screaming people and red blood everywhere.
We quickly dispersed, looting what hadn't already been taken by the Hittite warriors. I wondered where the Pharaoh and his army was. Usually they would have been on the scene by now.
After many hours, I saw an army coming toward us… at the head, the Pharaoh. Where had the fool been all this time? The Pharaoh's army quickly set about protecting the villagers.
Yugi POV
Ryoo and I ran around. We didn't know what exactly to do since we weren't supposed to fight or anything. Suddenly, one man grabbed me and I screamed.
"Let him go!" Ryoo shouted.
"Well, well, well, what have got here?" The man who grabbed me said.
"Looks like one of the Pharaoh's little slaves! He'll bring in a pretty good price," Another exclaimed, seeing the pharaoh's symbol on a band on my leg.
"Let him go!" Ryoo shouted, slamming into the man. He wasn't big enough to hurt him but he knocked him off balance long enough to get away. I picked a broken arrow off the ground and stabbed him.
"What are we going to do?" Ryoo asked as a bunch of Hittites surrounded us.
"Um… uh… this!" I yelled and attacked the five men furiously stabbing them with my arrow. My hand's were covered with blood when I leapt back to Ryoo. All five of them fell forward dead… on top of us.
"How did you do that?" Ryoo asked admiringly.
"Actually… I'm not really sure," I replied.
"Now what?"
"Well, let's just stay here. Then nobody will kill us!" I said and fell limply as if I was dead. I certainly had enough blood and grime on me to be.
"Sure, good idea," Ryoo replied and got in a rather dead looking position.
Atemu Normal POV
The soldiers fought bravely but we were already tired out from running all the way back to Egypt. I hated to admit it but we were loosing. I heard Jouno's voice from the middle of the city ringing out, "We can do it!" he was shouting, "Because we're Egyptians! Crush those Hittite scum bags!"
A replying battle cry rose from the remaining Egyptian soldiers. My soldiers. They were so brave. Just then, a shape formed from out of the dust. I looked up. It was the Hittite king!
"So we meet at last, son of the Pharaoh!"
"I'm the Pharaoh now!" I yelled at him.
"Then it's time for me to crush you, Pharaoh. You and all of those arrogant Egyptians!"
He swung a large sword at me. I blocked it with my own. He was much stronger than me, though and it took all my strength just to hold his sword away from me. Sweat broke out on my brow as he pressed harder. Suddenly my sword slipped. The larger one came down as I rolled aside to avoid it.
He lunged but I moved quickly behind him and struck him in the back of the head with the hilt of my sword. That knocked him out. I disarmed him. The fight was shorter than I had expected. I sat on him and waited for him to wake up. He yelled as soon as his eyes open scaring me to death. I raised my sword.
"No, stop! Please don't kill me!" The coward begged.
"Why shouldn't I, liar? You broke our treaty… and with your daughter still in my palace! Tell me, is Egyptian land so precious that you would risk her life?"
"No, you didn't kill her did you?" he asked.
"As you perceived, I didn't… and I won't kill you either. Call off your men and we will work out another treaty.
Dawn…
I looked out at the horizon. Memphis was painted trice red. Once for the blood of the Hittites, once for the Ra's birth, once of the blood of the Egyptians. Victory had come with a costly price. Over half my army was dead and nearly all of the remaining were wounded… while I myself was barely scratched.
"Well, we beat them," Jouno said, putting a sweaty arm around my own grimy neck.
"Yes, we beat them.. But not without a price."
"The price of war."
"Teanna was wrong…"
"What?"
"None of us should have been here, not just Yugi. None, not us, not the villagers, not the Hittites. Not at this day at this hour… I wonder where Yugi is."
Just then, I saw a moving under a pile of dead Hittites. A small arm burst from out of the pile. A rather dirty, bloody Yugi followed soon after.
"Great Osiris! Are you alright Yugi-chan?" I exclaimed, alarmed at his state.
"Never been better! This isn't my blood. I've just been hiding here so no one would kill me!"
"You smart little boy," I smiled and helped him up.
Ryoo POV
I nearly screamed when I woke up. Suffocating decay pressed from all sides. Then I remembered that Yugi and I had been hiding under a pile of dead Hittites. I listened, no sound. Was the battle over? I peeked out. The hem of a dark red robe with white stripes brushed the pile.
I looked out farther. It was Nahtki-sama! I wiggled out of the pile.
Nahkti turned around, "Ryoo-chan?"
"Nahkti-sama!" I shouted, putting my arms around him.
"Ryoo, what are you doing here?"
"Well, the Pharaoh heard the Hittites were attacking so he went to their capitol to stop them…"
"So that's where the fool was…"
"Yeah, and then there was snow and stuff but we found out that the Hittites had gotten away and were going to Memphis so we ran here as fast as we could and Yugi and I got lost and…"
"What! The Pharaoh put in the way such danger! How could he!"
"No, really we were fine and then Yugi and I hid in a pile of dead Hittites Yugi killed and no body killed us 'cause they thought we were dead."
"Yugi is really smart isn't he…"
"Nice too!"
"Yeah. Thank Ra I found you…" he said and gave me a quick hug. "We've got to get back to Kuru Eruna, though so lets go find Maadrath and the others and get going."
Atemu Normal POV
After we had gotten the wounded to doctors and the rest of Egypt cleaned up as best we could, Yugi and I took a shower.
I now had 3 more hostages on my hands but, oh well. I felt bad that so many of the soldiers had died but Jouno tried to console me. That was the life of the ruler of Egypt: Stressful.
