disclaimer: don't own Yugioh or its characters.
author's note: This was just a short little random fic I felt like writing. It's going no where and doing nothing. All just for fun and amusement. ;P
Prince Atemu...age 14 (and a half!)
You know I couldn't go more than a day or so without adding into this journal due to being reprimanded...yet again. I don't know why I'm continuously punished for things that could so obviously be accidents. But father always tells me that when I become king, accident or not, it's still my responsibility and it's best I live this now. To put it simply, it SUCKS to be the future king! I'm not even going to go into why I was reprimanded this time. It's probably been written in here somewhere already anyway.
Meanwhile, Tem is still scoring up the girl points. I believe this girl has stolen my heart. I melt everytime I see her and I long for her when I'm away from her. I can't concentrate on my studies. I'm distracted in my lessons. I'm daydreaming when I should be paying attention. I think mother knows...she hasn't said anything yet other than 'who is she' and I simply blush and grin as innocently as I can with the reply, 'nobody.' Mother always knows though. I can't reveal her to my family. Mother may approve as she says love knows no bounds, but father...he might be a different story, especially since at this age, I should be learning kingly matters and not gawking over some girl...especially some commoner girl. He's already told me that I need to ignore the fire of my loins and concentrate on matters that will make me a good king. So when am I supposed to NOT ignore that fire!? At this age, it's very difficult when it taunts my rational thoughts. Surely father knows what I'm going through. He was my age once wasn't he?
That aside, I caught a glimpse of Asru once again. But, she didn't recognize me since at the time, I was as I really am, Prince Atemu. We had a brief parade through the village as father wished to bestow some of our vast bounty to the people as a gift of thanks for all their hard work during the harvest. I stood beside my father in his parade chariot. As he stopped to give some grand speech (I wasn't really listening), I scanned the crowd for my favorite girl. I saw her with her sister moments later...standing atop a fruit wagon for a better view from the back. My heart lept, but I had to restrain my body from doing the same thing! She doesn't know me like this. I can't let on that Tem and Prince Atemu are one in the same...not yet anyway. As I was staring at her and probably gawking, actually I know I was...my father gave me a stern, unviewable nudge on my side closest to him. That was his way of noticing that I wasn't paying attention. I looked at him and was scolded through his eyes then we both turned, smiled, and waved to the crowd. I was in for it upon our return to the palace. But for me, it was well worth it. I got to see her today!
I got a long, dull, boring, strict lecture about something to do with my attention span, the kingdom, my role in it, and its people. This was about all I grasped. As I said, it was a long, dull, and boring spiel...and father's correct, I have a problem with my attention span. Who wouldn't with a long, dull, boring...you get the idea. This was further compounded by the fact that my thoughts kept drifting back to her. I had to sneak out and see her again...tonight!
Mana and Mahaado are picking on me nowadays. They seem to notice a 'change' in me...or rather my inattention to things I once paid attention to. I guess Mahaado even challenged me to a duel...something I always enjoy and parttake in with the eagerness of a stallion heading off to the breeding shed...but I didn't even respond. He and Mana had a big laugh at my expense while I looked at them and stared dumbly...trying to figure out what it was they thought was so funny. Mana though...her expression revealed something else too...whenever the subject turned to love or girls...was it jealously? She's like a sister to me isn't she? I mean, I don't think I think of her beyond that do I? Yet, now that I ponder that, I have to question that myself. Oh what twisted fate do the gods have in store for me!? Hey wait, I can have more than one wife when I'm pharaoh right? Maybe the matter will resolve itself in time? I could be overthinking all this too. It could just be my lustful nature at this age. All boys my age...except for maybe Mahaado...who's strange anyway...think of girls, sex, and other things at this age right? That's what mother said. Guess time will tell. But one thing I'm not going to wait for is seeing Asru again! Tem will be on the prowl tonight.
Oh, allow me to backup a moment. I did find out where she lives! Eastside of the village...down a street the military nicknamed 'falcon strike row' because the royal and scout falcons always seem to find critters to catch down that street. With this information, I now knew that if they asked, Tem lived on the westside just north of the market square. I dared not reveal some street name since our designation of them and what the villagers may call them could be different. See, some portions of my intelligence are still working. I just wished it'd be more predicatble...as in completely working ALL THE TIME!
So, until my return...I leave this entry here.
Hmm, wish I could erase so when I do continue entries, I don't have that little time delay sentence. Oh well. Obviously, I'm back. It's in the early hours of the morning and I'm trying to write this with only one candle burning. I never realized how dark my bedchamber was without torchlight or daylight. Regardless, onto my little adventure...or rather Tem's.
I snuck out of the palace just a few hours after the evening's dinner. Actually, I didn't exactly sneak. I told my father I wished to exercise my new colt while the air was cool and the aten had set for the day. I didn't say exactly where I'd be exercising my horse. I'm smart enough to know that the more general or vague you are around your parents the more likely you are going to get away with whatever you are scheming. I had already packed my peasant robes, wig,etc. in a sack and grabbed that on my way out to the stables.
So, me and horse galloped beyond the paddock, jumped the fence at its darkest portion (I had to really trust my horse's eyes on this one...that he'd see the fence with enough distance to react and jump. I already knew he had the guts to do it!). Our stables are on the east side of the palace so it wasn't long before I found myself in the right region of the village. But, I had to hide my prized colt somewhere. I found an abandoned shed just a couple blocks down from her street. There, I stowed my horse and changed from Prince Atemu to Tem. I stowed my gold jewelry,etc. in the sack from which I brought my commoner's attire in and left that with said horse.
In a cliche fashion, using a technique in stories and fables my mother used to tell me at bedtime, I found the house (shack?) she lived in and watched from below. Shadows moved about through the candlelit home. I had to find the right shadows. I saw her sister almost immediately. Her sister's hair is longer, but their facial profile is nearly the same. I waited, at the same time, looking about around myself. I'm NOT entirely stupid. I know of criminals and thieves that mill about the streets by nightfall and a lone boy standing stupidly staring up at a home is probably rather inviting. Nonetheless, I had my royal dagger among other small weapons still upon my person. I was trained to kill if it came to that. Luckily it didn't. Then I saw her! Grabbing a small cobble from the street, I tossed it up. I wanted it to smack beside the window. Instead, it went through the window! Good thing commoners had open windows with no coverings other than linens upon them. It smacked somewhere in the room. I cringed and my mind raced as to whether or not I should run and hide or stand my ground. My loins chose for me...I dumbly stood my ground.
Both Asru and her sister gazed out the window, seeking the starting point of that trajectory that flew into their window. They must share a room. I stood out of the shadows and into the oncoming moonlight so they could see me. They giggled and pointed at me! Is that a good or bad thing!? Then Asru pointed towards the backside of their home before disappearing from the window. I took that as a signal to meet her at the rear of the home. So, maneuvering around the crap all over the small alleyway between the street and the rear of her home, I slinked into the back...only to meet up with one mean, snarling, dog! Was this intentional? I didn't want to hurt the dog in case it was her family's protector...so, summoning a small magic spell, I cast a 'bound mouth' spell. Luckily that was one spell I seemed to do correctly. Realizing its mouth didn't work when it wanted it to, the dog slinked back into the shadows of its doghouse. I heard a door creak open and slipped into the shadows in case it was someone other than Asru. Then the candle the being was holding revealed it was her.
"Tem? That you?"
I stepped forward with renewed dignified pride...but not too much, otherwise I'd look like a prince and not a peasant. "Yes, it's me."
"What in Ra's name are you doing out this late at night?!"
Another scolding? After I'd risked life and limb to see her!? "I came to see you."
"Why?"
Why? What kind of answer was that?! "Because." There...dumb answer to a dumb question. I can play by these rules too.
"You either have the makings of a fine general or a total dumbass." she replied as she came closer to me. A fine general eh? She thinks so? What about a fine future king? Well it was time for me to suck up and reveal what I'd risked everything to say.
"Asru...I...well...I..." where's my smooth talking tongue when I need it!
"Yeah and?" she was being nice and opting to play my game too...not that I thought I was playing right.
Embarrassed for some strange reason,
I struggled. I HAD to say what I needed to say. I had to know
if she felt the same!
"I uh, like you?" a question! Why in Ra's name did I
make that a question!? Maybe I really am dumb. Yeah prince, you're
a smooth talking cool mouthed charmer...NOT!
She smiled a most wonderful smile though. "You're cute too." she replied with a soft giggle. Did that mean she liked me? Why do females never say what they really mean? Then she came ever closer. I wanted to run and stay at the same time. Holding firm, unsure of what she was going to do...I allowed her into my personal space...something only my parents and trusted confidants were EVER allowed to do in the presence of a royal member. But I was Tem, not the prince. I had to allow it.
She placed her hands on my shoulders and her lips drew onto mine. A kiss? Luckily for me, my body knew how to deal with that because my mind was a blur! Then suddenly she hissed and stepped frighteningly away from me. What'd I do?
"THIEF!"
"WHAT?!"
She pointed at my head. What did she see!? Then I put my hand on my forehead. CRAP! I forgot to remove my crown!
"THAT IS THE ROYAL PRINCE'S! YOU THIEF!"
"What-no--wait, I can explain!" I replied quickly, but it was too late...she had already gone into the house and locked the door.
Seeing that I wasn't going to get any further with her tonight, I dashed off before she alerted her father or someone worse...like guards or someone. How quickly my world came crashing down upon me! The gods really do hate me don't they?
Ack! I must stop here. My candlelight is nearly gone. I'll continue another day.