Here we are! The tournament games are about to begin!
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh.
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Ateyda stood on the balcony watching the morning sun rise over the dunes of sand. It seemed that each grain shimmered like a lake of gold. She felt a light breeze play across her face that was scented with the fragrance of the wild flowers that grew in the garden below. As beautiful as it all was, it did not comfort her. It did not take away the twisting her stomach was subjecting her to. It did not take away the dizziness that plagued her mind. It only reminded her that the day was waking, and that day would bring the first matches of the annual games. There were a few smaller divisions of sport that were played, but the most popular and idolized of them all were the fighting matches. This was where warriors from all over the kingdom would gather to determine who was the best fighter in the land. Sixteen fighters, including Ateyda, had signed up for this year's games. That was more than usual, but it seemed the fact that the queen herself had signed up drew up a few more.
All had been registered and assigned a letter. They were each assigned the letter in the order they registered. The letters were then paired up to determine the matches in the games. The fighters only knew their own letters, and did not know the others. They would not know whom they were going to fight until the first match of the games. All of the matches would be held in the same place; the kingdom's stadium. Most importantly to the majority of the populous, the warrior's finals would be held there on the last day. Ateyda dressed in her usual apparel she wore for combat. It was the same thing she wore when she first fought Lamasse, but she also added the armor that she wore when Kaiba attacked the palace. The armor covered vital areas, but the rest of her body was uncovered to ensure she did not have to sacrifice any of her range of motion. It was silver and light so she could have full use of her speed and agility. She grabbed her staff and walked to the front doors of the palace.
"Your highness, please, let me summon a mode of transportation for you," one of the servants asked her.
"I do not need to be pampered," she said simply as Lamasse and a few other guards joined her side. They all went out the front doors, and headed toward the stadium.
"What letter are you?," Lamasse asked Ateyda.
"You know that is against the rules, Lamasse," Ateyda told him coyly, "Besides I don't hear you telling me your letter."
"Well, like you said, it is against the rules," he said straightening up a little, "I am up against J in the first match."
"Then your letter must be I," she quietly laughed.
"What?," he then realized his mistake, "Damn!. . . Who are you going up against first?"
"I'm not going to fall for that one. You are going to have to try harder than that."
"If you are J, then I want to be prepared," he told her, "You are a true opponent, and I want to be prepared for combat."
"Then pretend it is me you are fighting in every match," she said very seriously now, "For then you will put your every effort into all the matches, and you will be a tough contender to beat. I know your techniques and skills. They are difficult to overcome, but not if you do not put all of your heart into the fight. If you put all of your effort into it, you can win this tournament."
"I understand," he said then smiled, "But I hate to say that there is no way you can win against me! I will fight as you say, and even though you may know my fighting techniques that will not save you from them! I will defeat you."
"I will take you up on that bet," she said, "We are here."
They looked up at the stadium that rose before them. It was not as big as the stadium said to be in Rome, but it suited their games perfectly. Unlike the stadium in Rome, it was completely enclosed except for a few windows to let in light. They walked inside the arena to see several small rings set out for the first matches of the games. The stands were not usually very full for the first matches, but Ateyda looked up at the stands to see them over flowing with people. She turned back toward the arena wondering why there were so many. On the edge of each ring set in the arena, there were markers that had letters on them depicting which fighters were to be matched up.
Ateyda found her letter; A. She was the first to sign up, so she was against B. She waited only for a few moments when she saw a woman step into the ring. She was the only other female that entered the tournament. She had short, spiky red hair that was held back by a black, thin scarf tied around her head. She looked almost too young to be entering the games like she was barely gracing fifteen.
"What luck," she said smiling, "The queen will be taken out of the games in the first match."
"What do you mean by that?," Ateyda replied coldly.
"I know about you," she said still smiling, "I have watched you fight. You have put yourself up against amateurs. My name is Peynara, and I, on the other hand, am a True Champion. You will find it very hard to beat me with your mediocre fighting skills. Not to mention my powerful accomplice." She pulled out her weapon of choice. It was a long, thin sword that had words engraved down to the hilt. It was much like the one Yami had given Ateyda. This one, however, looked like it was made of crystal.
"That sword won't last long," Ateyda said staking the end of her staff into the sand covered floor of the ring.
"This sword may look weak," she said, "But in fact this is not glass. This sword's blade is made of diamond. That pathetic staff is the weapon that will not last long. You chose your weapons poorly, but how could a weak fighter like you know such a thing."
"It will take more than a weapon to make a good fighter," Ateyda said, "You are just a child. You won't last long in this tournament. Especially now that you are against me. Maybe you should be at the sidelines helping one of these fine male fighters instead."
"Enough! Let's begin this!," she said seething.
"We have to wait for the games to officially begin, but not that a little girl like you would know anything about that." Before Peynara could reply several servants came in and were followed by the Pharaoh. He sat down on a throne-like chair that overlooked all of the rings and was directly in front of them all. He had all his jewelry and his crown on. Ateyda almost seemed to lose track of herself taking in his magnificence. He smiled at her a nodded a good luck to her. Seeing him smile made her want to be sitting up there beside him, but she had a goal to accomplish. It would be one she would dedicate to him. She would win the tournament games even if it meant sacrifices would have to be made.
One of the priests officially started the games, and judges came out to watch the matches individually. Ateyda was surprised when she saw her brother come to their ring. He nodded for them to begin. She turned back to Peynara, but she was turned toward the Pharaoh. Ateyda felt anger burn through her veins as she saw the same look in Peynara's eyes as Ateyda had when she looked at the Pharaoh, and it only angered her more as she watched Peynara burn a hole through Yami as she looked him up and down.
'You will be mine,' her lips mouthed.
That was the spark Ateyda needed, "What makes you think you have any entitlement to him?!"
She looked over Ateyda with shock for a moment, not realizing that she had been watching her, "When I defeat you, I will show him what a weak bride he chose, and by winning this tournament, I will lull him into my world."
"What makes you think that you can win his heart?," Ateyda asked her, "You are nothing but a little girl!"
"I will show him that you are nothing!," she said getting angry, "I will defeat you, and he will be ashamed of his dear little queen, and that is when I will take your place."
"I will not let you go any further in this tournament than this match. You made your first mistake thinking you could defeat me, and then you made your second and fatal mistake by thinking you can take my place and my king!," Ateyda said darkly, "You had better being praying to the Gods, little girl. For I will not hold back on you. You will feel my wrath."
"Let's get this going! The sooner I defeat you, the sooner I can reach my goal!" Peynara came at Ateyda and swung the sword across her stomach, but Ateyda leapt back and landed with perfect balance. Peynara then came at her again with an assault from above. Ateyda blocked it with her staff, but the staff broke in two. She had to throw herself to the side before the sword sliced her in half. She threw away one half of the staff and tried to continue with what was left. With every hit that Peynara made, Ateyda's staff was reduced down little by little. She knew that it would not save her, but only hold her back. She threw away what was left, and stood ready for Peynara's next attack. A fighter from another match was suddenly thrown into their ring and came within inches of Peynara's feet. Ateyda instantly took advantage of this. She ran toward Peynara and drop kicked her to the ground. Her sword landed near Ateyda. She picked it up and threw it from the ring.
"You are a good fighter. I'll give you that much," Ateyda said as Peynara got up gasping from the hard blow to her chest, "You want to win Yami over? Then why don't you take me down with your bare hands? I would think that is a much more glorious fight than with a sword against a weaponless opponent, but why am I saying this to you? I bet you do not have the guts to fight without it."
"I am twice the fighter you will ever be with or without weaponry!," Peynara screamed back.
"Then prove it!," Ateyda challenged, "If you win this match, not only will you continue in the finals, but I will give up my position as head of the guard to you. However, if I win, you must become a side-liner for one of these fine men."
"Let's raise the stakes unless you are afraid," Peynara said.
"You have a large mouth," Ateyda teased, "But it has already lead you into trouble. What are your requests?"
"If I win, not only will I take your place as head of the guard, but I also want to be made a priestess. It will bring me that much closer to the Pharaoh."
"I accept your conditions," Ateyda said smiling, "But I must warn you not to bite off more than you can chew."
"I can take whatever you bring to the table," she snapped back.
"Then come and prove to me you deserve to replace me!"
Peynara came at her and attempted to punch her with both fists at once, but Ateyda grabbed her wrists. As soon as she wrapped her fingers around Peynara's wrists, an image was thrust into her head. She was once again reliving a memory of someone else.
"Peynara, how many times have I told you not to slouch when you sit at a table?," Peynara's mother scolded her. She instantly sat up straight. Her parents were always correcting her flaws and the things she did wrong. Ateyda did not know how she knew that, but it was something she just knew was right.
"Peynara, we must speak with you," her father began, "Your mother and I have not told you for years. We did not want news to get out too soon, but it has been arranged for many years."
"What has been arranged?," she asked him curiously.
"You know that at one time, Pharaoh (Yami's dad's name) and I were very close friends," he explained, "Childhood friendship turned into a strong bond between us. One day, we made a pact with each other, that his first-born son and my first-born daughter would one day be wed. Now that his son has taken his place, it is a proper time for that marriage."
"Me?," she gasped, "Marry the Pharaoh? But I am only thirteen."
"I made a pact that day, Peynara. I will honor the memory of my friend by honoring that promise. You do not have any objections marrying him, do you? I know you have always held a fancy for young Yami."
A smile slowly spread across her face. Suddenly, everything around Ateyda went black. She looked around to see nothing. Where was she? Was she still in the memory? Was she back in the fight? She slowly started to see colors and light come back, and she felt herself being thrown into another memory. She was in a cemetery. She walked along looking at all the unfamiliar tombs and crypts. She knew none of these, yet an aching pain struck her deep within her chest. She then spotted Peynara curled up on the ground at the door of a rather large tomb. She was sobbing and Ateyda felt every ache inside Peynara pounding through her veins. Ateyda walked up to her and looked at the name on the tomb. It was Peynara's father.
Once again, blackness engulfed Ateyda. It felt cold. She stood and wondered if the colors would come back or if she would be returned to the fight. Had she lost? Was she just standing there in the real world with no one being able to revive her? Slowly, she saw the form of Peynara appear in front of her. She was returning home. Once again, Ateyda did not know how she knew it, but it seemed as if the general knowledge of the moment transferred from Peynara to herself. She followed her wondering where she would take her. It was raining, and something about where she was and scene of the night. Peynara suddenly stopped. She was looking straight ahead at two figures standing in the rain. One of them removed an item of clothing and wrapped it around the other. Ateyda approached the two people a bit closer, and jumped back as she was looking at Yami and herself. Peynara was there, watching them, the night that Yami had taken her to the palace. She felt anger burning like fire from behind her. She looked back to see Peynara furious at the sight of Yami holding onto Ateyda. Had Yami ever been with Peynara? Somehow, like before, she simply knew he would barely recognize her face.
She felt herself being thrown from Peynara's mind and her body became more solid. Before she could react, Peynara had twisted around and flung Ateyda across her back onto the ground. It seemed that the transfer of memory had been instantaneous. Ateyda had her guard down from the flash of memory that had been thrown into her head, and Peynara had been able to get the better of her. Ateyda, however was not going let Peynara get the better of her for the remainder of the match. She looked up as she saw Peynara jump into the air. She was coming at her like she was going to land her knees right into her chest. Ateyda only had a split second to react. If she waited a second to long, her chest would surely break on impact. The moment Peynara thought that the move would be complete, Ateyda kicked her into the air and across the ring. Peynara's shocked body curled to make her feet flip up and hit her in the back of the head while her face drug in the sandy floor below them. She came to a halt at the other side of the ring, but before she could fully get to her feet, Ateyda knocked her feet from underneath her. Peynara landed on her back, and as she looked up, she saw Ateyda come at her just as Peynara had done. Ateyda was going to land on Peynara standing, however, and this time on her face. Peynara started to scream as she Ateyda landed on her target. Peynara's eyes were closed tight and she was still screaming. She slowly opened her eyes to see Ateyda standing above her with her feet on either side of Peynara's head.
"Empress Ateyda is the winner!," her brother shouted as Ateyda stepped back from Peynara who was still whimpering. Ateyda looked over at him in surprise as she completely forgot he was there. It was strange to hear him call her Empress Ateyda. She heard applause as Lamasse and a few others approach their ring. She looked over at Yami and saw him applauding her as well. She smiled at him and took a bow.
"Peynara, do not forget about our bargain," Ateyda said as she turned to her. Peynara was now sitting with her head down in defeat. Ateyda knelt down in front of her, "I think this will help calm your pride, and it will show you the real pride of a true fighter."
"You know nothing about me or what I need," Peynara spat back.
"I know it is hard that your late father's promise to a friend will go unfulfilled, as are the hopes in your heart," Ateyda told her barely above a whisper, "But that does not make you right over everyone else." Peynara stared at Ateyda in disbelief. Her father had not told anyone just as she had not told anyone about the promise he had made so many years ago. How could she have possibly known about it?
Ateyda stood up rather quickly, "Well, lets find your master, shall we?" She walked straight over to Lamasse. She patted his shoulder, "He should do nicely."
Lamasse winked at her, "Do not worry. I know exactly what to do. Just leave her to me. I will teach her what you have taught me." Ateyda smiled back at him, and then turned toward Yami. He was motioning her toward him. As she reached his side, he sat her down beside him.
"Well done," he said as he squeezed her hand. She looked into his deep, violet eyes and knew exactly why she was going to win the tournament games. It was the pride of her king. She would fight for him, and show him what she was truly made of.
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