Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh.
"Damn it!," she said as she punched the side of the building next to her. It left a large dent in the stucco, "How could I be so stupid? I should have known it was too good to be true."
"You made it!," she heard an all too welcome voice behind her, "I was hoping nothing had happened to you."
She flung herself around to see a cloaked man approach her. The light threw his handsome features into sharp relief. His glowing violet eyes beckoned her to him.
He took off his cloak to wrap it around her. She was shaking from being soaked from the rain. Her onyx colored hair clung to her, and he removed the pieces that hung in her face. She saw that he had his normal attire on that she was used to seeing when she was visiting the palace with supporters. She saw the gold adorning his bare chest, and she yearned to reach out and touch his soft flesh. "Come on, let's get out of this rain," he said directing her toward the palace."
"Your cloak?," she asked, "But if any of the rouges see you without protection. . ."
"Do not worry," he said stopping her mid-sentence, "Your need is greater than mine." She knew the Pharaoh was powerful, but she did not know how low the rouges would go to kill him.
They arrived at the palace, and the guards seemed surprised to see the Pharaoh walking out in the open without protection. They ran out, and guarded him as he made his way to the front gates. He nodded to them as he led Ateyda into the palace.
She looked around to see his home looking as magnificent as it always had, even in the midst of the storm. Every torch was lit, making all of the golden walls glisten in greeting them. "I will show you where you will be staying," he said as he led her up a set of magnificent steps. She had never been to any part of the palace except the main chamber where all his supporters would meet at least once a month to see him. Every time she went she was in awe to be in his presence. He had power radiating off of him that everyone could feel. He gave them hope that the dark powers would be defeated. He was now helping her personally. She was going to be able to stay under the same roof as the powerful Pharaoh.
They came to a doorway, and he led her in. She was met by the most beautiful sight. A vast, beautifully decorated room stood before her. She had never seen such riches spent on a single room. He saw the look on her face and smiled, "You are my guest, and I always give my best. Any needs or requests you have my servants will be more than happy to fulfill. I will leave you with the chambermaids. You look like you have had a rough night. Sleep well, and I will see you in the morning."
"One question before you go," she said as she turned from the breath-taking room, "How long were you out there waiting for me?"
He stopped, taken aback with this question, "Physically, a few hours, but my heart never left that place from our first meeting." She could not help, but let a smile creep its way onto her face as she watched him close the door behind him.
The chambermaids made her a bath, and laid out some bedclothes for her. As she lowered herself into the steaming water, she felt all her aches and pains slowly ebb out of her body. Just a few hours ago, she had been fighting for her life in a surging river, and now she was relaxing in a bath of hot, soothing water in the palace of the Pharaoh. She felt her heart race when she thought about how defined his chest was, and how his deep voice resonated through her body like an electric charge. She found herself hoping that he felt something special toward her as well.
She finished the bath, and went back into the bedroom. She changed into the bedclothes and laid down on the bed. She felt herself almost instantly drift off to sleep, and her dreams were filled with violet eyes and a soft, deep voice.
The next morning she awoke early. She walked out onto the balcony outside her room to watch the sun rise. She felt it was a symbol of a new hope in her life beginning. The view was incredible. The sun danced around the dunes miles ahead, and lit up the town in beautiful morning light. She watched as the town slowly woke up, and the people started going about their daily routines. It was beautiful up there, and she never wanted it to end. As she was watching the people scurry about, she saw something fairly odd. She saw groups of men scouring the city. What were they doing? She then saw the reason. Kaiba's chariot was at her house. He was looking for her. She saw him charging up the streets with a tow of people in his wake. From what she could see, he was livid. It was a twist of fate, that when he was closer to the palace, he looked up and saw her standing on the balcony. Her heart started to race. What would he do now that he knew where she was? She could tell that he was furious that what she said at her house was all true. She was staying with the Pharaoh. He stood there staring up at her, and suddenly she heard his voice yelling up at her.
"What kind of stunt do you think you are pulling?," his face alone was terrifying, "Don't think I am going to let this slip by! And you Pharaoh. . .," He pointed up at her. She turned to see Yami looking down at Kaiba, "She is mine, Pharaoh! I will retrieve her one way or another!" He gripped the millennium rod around his neck, then motioned for the groups to retreat.
"Is that the man you were talking about?," Yami asked her as they watched Kaiba leave in his horrid chariot.
"Yes," she said, "I am sorry to have brought this upon you. I know he is already your greatest enemy, but I did not want to bring any more of his hate upon you. I'm sorry."
"It is not your fault," he said putting his hand on her shoulder. She felt her cheeks grow hot, "We have a common enemy, and it is him that brings this hate, not you. Come, let's rid ourselves of this, and I will show you the palace." She followed him as he showed her his vast estate. Every room was big enough to devour half of her village. They spent most of the day touring his home. There were so many rooms and wonderful things to see, she wondered if she would even be able to see it all in the same day. He then stopped at the last door. "I saved this for last," he said with a small smile, "I think you will enjoy this." When he opened the door, he revealed an entire training arena. Every sort of weapon and equipment she could possibly think of was at her fingertips. She entered the room, and viewed each piece of weaponry that was available for use. She had never seen such a wonderful sight, excluding the Pharaoh of course. He watched as she marveled at the room. He wanted to see her fight.
"You may use this at anytime," he said as she examined a weapon more closely, "I am giving you full reign to use this room in any way you see fit."
"Why?," she said turning to him, "Do not think that I am ungrateful. This is all too wonderful to believe, but I do not understand. Why me? You know I come from the house of Layland. You know they are among your worst enemies, so why are you doing so much for me?"
He held out his hand, "Come then, I will tell you." He led her out to the most beautiful garden she had ever seen. Every type of rare and exotic flower was growing in lush mounds all around them. They sat down on a bench. The pinks and purples of the sunset were caressing his beautiful features, and made him even more attractive if it was even possible. "I understand about your confusion. I do know about your family, but did you also not think I would not know about you?," he finally said after a few moments.
"What do you mean?," she asked. She did not understand what he meant by 'knowing about her.'
"I have seen you at the palace before among my supporters. I have watched you fighting those who oppose me in tournaments. You fought them with much more malice than any others," he said smiling.
"How would you notice me among all of the people that were in the palace?," she asked still not understanding what was right in front of her, "At those meetings there had to be hundreds of people, and I have never entered any tournaments large enough to catch attention; especially not the attention of the Pharaoh."
"I have always noticed you no matter where it may have been," he said looking over at her. She was surprised he could not see her heart leaping out of her throat. Did he mean what she thought he meant? She looked into his eyes searching for the answer. He leaned toward her. His hand felt up her shoulder to her face. He pulled her to him, and kissed her. She wrapped her arms around him, and felt his soft, warm lips against hers. This was sudden, but it felt right. She felt him pull her into him bringing her deeper into the kiss. She felt his thundering heart beat through his chest, and every nerve in her body was on fire. Much to her dismay, they pulled apart. He stroked her burning lips, and she never wanted to leave his side again. "It's getting late," he said in his deep, silky voice, "we had better get some sleep. I have some things planned for tomorrow." They went to their separate bedrooms, and dressed for bed. She slid herself between the sheets and fell asleep happier than she could ever remember.
The next morning she awoke to being nudged by one of the chambermaids. "Miss, the Pharaoh requests your presence. You are to be dressed in your combat apparel," she said as she pointed to the clothes lying on a chair across the room. They looked just like the ones she wore to tournaments.
"Why does he want me in those?," she asked the maid who was pulling the sheets off of her and readying her things.
"I do not know what he has in mind, I just carry the message," she said, "You are to meet him in the arena." With that she left. Ateyda walked over to the chair and examined the clothes. They looked just like what she usually wore, but these were much more expensive and finely made. These were made of soft, silver colored cloth. It was air light; perfect for movement. The top was piece of cloth that wrapped around her chest, and had small, thin straps. The bottom almost like a short skirt but was cut along the sides. She dressed in them, and made her way down to the arena.
When she got there, she saw Yami sitting in a chair overlooking the arena where there was a large, beastly man standing in the middle of it. Yami immediately stood at seeing her come in. "Welcome," he said motioning for her to approach the arena, "I understand from watching you compete in those lower tournaments that you do not challenge yourself, so I have found a suitable rival for you."
"Why do you want me to fight?," she asked him.
"I know you love this sport," he said looking deep into her, "I can see it in your eyes, and I also see you do not hold confidence in your ability. If you did then you would have moved on from those smaller tournaments and entered the games. I want to show you what you are capable of."
"Your majesty," said the man standing in the arena, "I do not wish to question your wisdom, but I do not wish to fight a woman. I will hurt her if I truly fight her." Anger flashed in Ateyda's eyes. She did not think she could take on someone as large as him, but she did not like the fact that he flaunted this so casually.
Yami saw her reaction and smiled, "I think you will be surprised. You will have to trust me on this," he then turned to Ateyda, "He is the best fighter in my guard. I know you can defeat him. I have faith in you."
She saw a table of weapons for her to choose from. She saw the guard grab for a particularly sharp, heavy weapon. Was he trying to intimidate her? "Bastard," she quietly whispered. She knew then she must defeat him. Not only was it for Yami, for she wanted to prove herself to him, but she wanted to show this prick that he should never underestimate those who are smaller than him; especially those of the opposite sex. She grabbed a staff off of the table. It was her favorite. It was the first weapon she learned to wield.
She walked out into the ring. The guard gave her a nasty grin. It was the moment of truth. If she really was as good as everyone said she was, she would be able to defeat him. They walked slow circles around the ring, both waiting for the first attack. She saw a glint in his eyes, and he attacked. He came at her and swung at her with the massive weapon he had chosen. She leapt underneath his attack and slammed the rod on the back of his head as he went by. She saw his strategy, and now that he was fighting her, his greatest asset was to be his greatest weakness. When he was fighting men, his awesome size could easily tame them, but now that his opponent was a woman the tables were turned. She could easily dart around his slow, powerful attacks, and hit him with her quick, sharp ones. As he was realizing he had past her, he turned around. She took advantage of his body trying to turn against the momentum he had just built. She flipped the rod under his feet and he fell forward. She leaped into the air, and rammed her knee into his chest as her rod came slamming down on his head. He cried out, but quickly lifted up which made her fly through the air. She put out her hands and turned her fall into a somersault. She landed on her feet crouching close to the ground. Her eyes were sharp and awaiting his next movement. He came at her again attempting to slam the weapon on top of her. She quickly slid between his legs, and kicked him up into the air. Quick as a flash she got up and kicked his falling form so that when he came crashing down to the ground he slid five feet along the arena floor, and then went head first into the wall as his body flipped over itself.
She stood down on one knee panting, but smiling over her victory. Yami had shown her what her true abilities were. She felt ready to enter the games. They were a series of tournaments that were highly anticipated every year. She had never entered them, because she feared her failure. Yami knew it, and she would have to thank him for showing her that she was worthy of them.
She heard clapping, "That was marvelous!," Yami said as he came to her side and helped her up, "Never have I seen anyone fight him like that. You are a true fighter."
"Thank you," she said as she laid down her staff, "I hope I did not cause too much damage." She pointed to Yami's fallen guard and the massive hole in the wall where his head had hit.
"Do not worry about it," he said smiling, "Watching you fight is the greatest thrill I could ever ask for. I have never seen anyone fight with as much heart as you do." She blushed at all the compliments, and looked at the ground. "I must go, but I wish for you to join me tonight," he said as he started to leave the room.
"If that is your wish," she said bowing her head to him.
"Then I shall see you tonight in the main chamber," he said and left the room.
She went back to her room, and changed. Most of her normal wear consisted of a simple white robe. For tonight, however, she thought she might check to see what was in the wardrobe across the room. She opened it to find the most beautiful garments she had ever seen. She heard someone come up behind her.
"May I make a suggestion?," it was the chamber maid she had talked to earlier, "Wear the blue one. It would look wonderful on you."
Ateyda smiled at her, "What is your name?"
"I am Lorena," she replied getting the blue garment from the closet, and setting it up on the bed, "I have been head maid for twenty years in the palace, but just recently Yami has assigned me to care for you."
"Oh," she said in reply to this statement. She did not want someone waiting on her hand and foot. She could do things on her own, and did not like the thought of having someone who was of no lower class than her to be waiting upon her, "Well, I really don't need a maid, but I could use a woman to talk to."
Lorena stopped in her tracks seeming to be astonished that someone wanted her for her knowledge and not her services. She smiled and nodded. "What is it that you wanted to talk about?," she asked Ateyda.
"Well, I have always talked with my mother about things happening day to day," she began, "but recently she did something horrible, and I feel lost not being able to talk to her. I do not wish to speak to her anymore, but at the same time I have nowhere to vent everything that is going through my head about. . ."
"About what?," Lorena asked.
"The Pharaoh," she replied looking down at the ground at her bravery to say it, "My feelings for him."
Lorena sat down on the bed and motioned for Ateyda to take a seat beside her. "What kind of feelings do you have for him?," she asked.
"I. . .," she began. She did not know if she could get it out, but she needed to tell someone, "I love him. I love him more than I think he even knows."
"Ah, I see," Lorena replied nodding her head. She then took Ateyda's hand and looked into her eyes, "Listen to me very carefully when I tell you this. I am telling you in the strictest of confidence. Do you understand?" Ateyda nodded. What was she going to say? "I have talked to him before about you. He asked about you, and I know when I saw him discuss you. He loves you. I have never seen him have this much passion for someone. Take this information with great care. He is very powerful, but so is his love."
Ateyda thought she would pass out on the spot. She knew the Pharaoh liked her, because of the kiss they shared in the garden, but she did not think he loved her. Something did confuse her, however. "What do you mean 'so is his love?'," she asked
"As you get to know him, you will understand," she said as she stood up and motioned for her to get ready.
"Thank you, Lorena," she said as the door slowly closed.
That night she went toward the door of the main chamber. When she came through the door, she was shocked by hundreds of people sitting at dozens of long tables piled with food. Yami was sitting up at the main table looking as stunning as ever. He was adorned in his gold trappings, and was a breath-taking sight. He saw her and motioned her to him. As she walked toward him she saw an empty seat beside him. When she arrived at his side, he patted the seat for her to sit down. As she did so, he stood up.
The room went silent, and every face turned towards him. "It is my pleasure to start off this ceremony. I have recently met someone who has proven to me again and again that they are worthy of such a title as this," he grabbed Ateyda's hand and lifted her from her seat. A man came up behind them with a thin, silver sword on a velvet pillow. Yami took it and held it out to Ateyda, "With this sword, I christen you as Ateyda, the leader of the guard." She blushed furiously as she took the sword, and bowed to him. Everyone in the crowd cheered. "Let the feast begin," said a man to the left of Yami, and they all sat back down.
Ateyda sat looking at the finely made sword. Yami turned to her, and smiled at the shocked look on her face. "Not only are you the leader of the guard," he said taking her hand, "I hope soon you will accept to be more."
They went through the rest of the meal talking and laughing as if they were merely old friends out for lunch. It was when the final guest had left that Ateyda felt Yami's gaze upon her once again. As they walked up one of the staircases, she kept glancing over at him. She could not keep her eyes from him. Every time she was near him she could feel the power he held. Even being as powerful as he was, he was also beautiful. She felt so drawn to him that she felt sick when they parted to go to their bedrooms. He wished her a good night and made his way to his room. She went to hers, and changed into her bedclothes. She had lain in her bed for a while when she had had enough. If what Lorena had said was true, then she had no reason not to take action.
She made her way quietly down from her bedroom. The palace was dark from the dead of night. She made her way to Yami's door. She pushed it open, and walked inside. He was lying on his back peacefully sleeping. She got onto the bed, and laid next to him. She touched soft, inviting lips. She kissed him, then laid her head on his chest. She felt herself rise and fall with every breath he took. She ran her fingertips along the definitive lines in his bare chest. She then fell asleep right where she always wanted to be.
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