Tornado: Hiya peeps! I'll just skip the long intro and get on w/ the fic.
The release of the monsters only caused minor problems, but the pharaoh still assigned a team of priests to their capture. Under Sheatana's orders no one was to even attempt to bind the dragons that had stayed behind to protect her. Gabriel and Sheatan seemed to follow her everywhere. These were the bravest dragons of the six as well as the two whom were closet to Sheatana and Seth. Gabriel was Seth's trusted Blue-Eyes White Dragon, and Sheatan Sheatana's Blue Eyes Black Dragon. Devil and Angel. An interesting mix.
Sheatana was happier with the dragons around. She smiled and laughed, not often but more than before. With the wedding drawing nearer, she was happier than anyone would have expected. Sheatana had let the prince win the battle, and they were to be wed in the courtyard. In exchange, he had to take an all day excursion into the desert and not return until the next evening. He agreed reluctantly.
Sheatana spent most of her days in the stables, fawning over Bucephelus. Seth had taken Tyre with him when he had fled, and without the white mare, Bucephelus was very lonely. She and Isis took long rides each day, leaving in the morning and not returning until dinner. Yami had given her more freedom than before and it helped to take her mind from everything that had happened.
A week before the wedding, Sheatana and Aladdin took the long desert ride. She awoke at two in the morning, well before dawn. Her room was completely black. The fire she had lit last night did not even have embers burning. She sat still. There was no noise. No dragons breathing or beating of wings as they passed. She panicked, rushing from her bed to her window, fleeing to the balcony. The entire city was black, not even the glow of a candle in a peasant's window was visible. She felt something or someone on the balcony with her, when she turned to look for the intruder there was no one there.
"Sheatan! Gabriel!" she cried to the still night. "Please help me!"
There was no reply. Not even the beating of wings sneaking up on the intruder. This frightened Sheatana. Thoughts of them being bound once again to the tablets flashed through her mind. Tears were running down her face; she had forgotten about the reason she had called out to them.
"No! NO! They can't be! Where are they? Oh NO!" she sobbed hysterically.
"Hush, my love. I simply asked them to leave us alone for a little bit. Don't fret they are fine. Now please stop crying, my princess" a soft voice whispered.
"Seth? Seth!" she cried out, stumbling until she found his body and embraced him.
"I had to see you again before your marriage. Our meeting there will not be one that allows for talk, but now is an opportune time. I'm afraid for your safety I cannot tell you what I am planning to do, but I promise you, that by the end of the…war, we will be together. Gabriel and Sheatan will insure that you are not harmed. And I thank you for the monsters that you set free and the dragons thank you as well. All those that are loyal to us came to fight, however I was forced to rebind them to the tablets. I promised that once I was finished, I would set them free once again. I just wanted to tell you that they were in good hands. I must be going. I shall see you again soon," he whispered stepping out onto the balcony, the moonlight illuminating his face. "Be careful, and have fun on your ride tomorrow."
He leapt off, and when she rushed to the edge, he was nowhere in sight. She stood there, the wind whipping gently through her hair. She heard the beating of wings, and two dragons appeared in front of her. They gave an apologetic look, and each received a pat.
Sheatana had stood on the balcony until dawn. Although Seth had not said much nor stayed long, he had brought promise of a better life to come. This would help her fight through tough times, such as today. She did not know why she wanted the prince to accompany her on the long journey ahead, but she knew that if he did, it would be the last time he would come along. She began to dress for their long voyage. A simple, long, flowing white skirt and a white, broad-strapped tank top were the outfit of choice. She used bands of gold to secure her hair off of her neck but left two strands to frame her hard face. The only other item she put on was her flame pendant, which was neatly tucked in her shirt. She quietly laced her sandals; the ties wrapping all the way up to her knees before a small bow was made. She wore no paint or jewelry, and had her bands not been gold, she could have been mistaken for a commoner. She waved off the hovering dragons before exiting the chamber. The guards that had always stood at her door were no longer there, and hadn't been since Seth had left. She kind of missed that."Sheatana!" Isis called from down the hall. "Before you leave I have one thing to give you. Follow me."
Sheatana followed her down the hall and through the winding corridors until they had arrived at Isis's chambers. Since Seth left, Isis's brother Malik had taken his place as high priest. He had been restricting Isis quite a lot lately, but under the pharaoh's orders, she was allowed to give Sheatana company when she wished. The two snuck past the entrance to the new priest's room, slipping into her private chamber. She motioned for Sheatana to follow her into the back part of the room, where it was less likely they would be heard.
"Seth came to me last night," the priestess whispered. "He told me to give you these."
She reached into a large burlap bag and withdrew a small knife and a sword. The knife was placed in a brown leather sheath that could be strapped around the thigh while the sword had a handle that was forged in iron with large sapphires incrusted in it. Its sheath was black leather, and a gold fabric created a criss-cross design. Sheatana attached the knife to her right thigh while she attempted to cover the sword under her skirt.
"I have to take this back to my chamber, but until I return, can you keep it here for me?" the princess inquired.
"I will do my best, Sheatana. Do me a favor as well, be careful."
She nodded before exiting the chamber. Malik was still not even thinking about arising yet, even though most of the castle was awake. Sheatana began the long walk to Prince Aladdin's chambers. Under her request to Yami, the two of them had been placed in separate wings of the palace. So far, it had deterred the prince from an attempt to raid her dorms. It took her ten minutes to reach the prince's chamber, and when she knocked on the door, he grumbled something about leaving and never coming back. She rolled her eyes and entered without hesitation. The chamber was bright with the white sheets and marble floors. The windows had no drapes allowing the sunlight to shine in its full fury. The prince was fast asleep under the covers of the bed, one arm hanging over the side. Sheatana stood by the side for several minutes.
"Wake up," she commanded.
He grumbled and placed a pillow over his head. She didn't move. A few seconds later, a deafening scream sounded, soaring down the halls, echoing in the chambers. The prince shot straight up in the bed, staring around wildly, searching for the sound. It had faded as fast as it had come. He gazed at Sheatana in utter disbelief. She smiled gently.
"Well, now that you're awake, will you please get dressed so we can leave for our ride?"
"What was that?" he asked shakily.
"A scream, what else would it be?"
"Whose scream?"
"Mine. Be ready in five minutes. I'll be waiting outside," she replied before leaving.
She stood outside of the door wrapping her hair around her finger. Nothing was more annoying than having to wait to embark on her journey through the desert. She tapped her foot impatiently, watching the servants stroll by on their way to their stations. It disgusted her the amount of wealth the Royal Family possessed. She always thought about when she walked through the streets among the commoners. There, she heard what the people really thought of her brother and her. Stupid, selfish, uncaring rulers. She wished that everyone could hear her thoughts of the family.
The finally opened and the prince stepped out adorned in gold and silk. He stared at the princess's wardrobe in disgust, just as she did to him.
"What are you wearing?!" he cried.
"I am wearing the same thing that my people wear. We are going to be walking through the streets, and I do not want to be recognized. Now if you want to stick out like a sore thumb, be my guest, but I will be nowhere near you."
"Fine. Then that is your choice. Well, come then we must go."
"The horses are waiting in a paddock outside of the city. Isis and I were tiring of navigating the horses through the streets, so we will walk to them."
With that, she turned and began the journey to the entry hall.
The heat was sweltering. They had not even passed through the first street when the prince started complaining. Sheatana rolled her eyes and continued walking. She carried a basket, which she had just bought from a local vendor that would store their food. Everyone gazed at the prince with questioning eyes, all wondering what a man with that much wealth was doing in the streets. Sheatana ordered him to stay where he was at while she purchased their food. She was examining a basket of dates when she overheard the argument of two women."The princess and the pharaoh are nothing but stuck up pricks. I have never seen one of them walking among us like a commoner, nor have I ever seen them do a favor for one of us," one woman said.
"That is not true! The princess is very kind, and she comes down among us often. She treats us as though we are equals. She visits us in our quarters for no other purpose than to visit and gossip along. She is very generous to the children of the castle. Her and the high priest both are very kind," the other woman replied fiercely. Sheatana recognized her from her many visits to the women's servants quarters.
"Which high priest? Surely you don't mean the new one. He has done nothing but exert authority over us. And the one before him was exiled from the castle. Probably because betrayal," the first woman said defiantly.
"No. He was exiled from the castle because he and the princess were having an affair. That was the pharaoh's doing. That is why the princess is so unhappy."
"Then why are their monsters surrounding the castle? The two locked them up years ago. So why did she release them when she knows the damage they can cause?"
"Because she does not believe in the shadow duels. She only released those that resided in the castle, and all but two have been rebound."
"Yes, and those two are the two that cause the most harm. They have destroyed empires! How do we know that they will not destroy our fair city?'
"Because of the princess. She is the only reason they have not destroyed us. She orders them not to, and they won't as long as she wishes."
"I think that there should be an over throw of the government. They do not know what happens in the streets, we do!"
"I should have you prosecuted for conspiracy!" a new voice stated.
Sheatana froze, eyes wide in fear. She knew all too well who that voice belonged to.
"Prince Aladdin," the maid gasped. "What are you doing here?"
"I am here with Princess Sheatana. We are going for a ride in the desert and she insisted on buying food."
"Princess Sheatana? Here among us? That is highly unlikely."
The prince turned to face Sheatana, who was still conversing with the merchant about the dates. She pretended as though she had not overheard any of the conversation that was taking place behind her. She smiled as she bid the merchant good-bye and gasped when the prince caught her hand as she was turning away.
"Tell them, Sheatana. Tell them who you are," he stated.
She looked at him with confused eyes before saying, "Excuse me, sir, but who did you call me?"
"Sheatana, there is no need to act as though you have no idea as to who I am. Tell them the truth, that you are Princess Sheatana."
"I'm sorry, you must have me confused with someone else, for I am not Princess Sheatana. Although I do get that we look alike, but I am not her. You may have seen me around the palace because I serve there, but I am not the princess," she replied with the same bewildered look. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have more shopping to do."
She turned away after giving the maid a silencing look. The prince scurried after her, immediately falling into a lecture when he reached her. She flicked her hair and kept walking as though there was no one jabbering in her ear. She stopped at several more stands before continuing out to the outskirts of town. The crowd thinned so that the sight of another human was rare. At this point she faced the prince, interrupting his ramble.
"Listen to me," she snapped. "If I wanted people to know who I was, I'd come down dressed in what you're wearing now, but I'm not so there. One other thing, if I need your help or advice, I'll ask for it, until then just shut up. Now if you'll kindly mount your horse, we can be on our way."
She quickly bridled her black stallion before attaching the baskets to either side of the horse. By the time she was done and mounted, the prince was awaiting her. She glared before galloping out of the gate, not waiting for her burden to catch up.
"We'll settle here for the night," Sheatana said, circling around the oasis she had discovered."Good. I have saddle sore like you wouldn't believe. And it's hotter than fire out here. And I'm thirsty," the prince complained, sliding down from the horse. "We've been riding all day, and you're not anxious to get off of that animal?"
"I, unlike you, am used to this. Wait here, I'm going to find us some meat. Get a drink if you're thirsty," she added before setting off in her search.
She had hunted for desert food many times before and was not too fond of it. Bucephelus moved easily underneath of her. Her horse knew that she was on the prowl for anything that looked like it could be food. Sheatana was only half looking though. The ride had proved to be a tiring one, not only physically but mentally as well. It was nice to have some time alone. Something moved. Bucephelus stopped dead, and Sheatana pulled her skirt up to fetch the knife she had stored. A snake slithered by apparently unaware of the duo beside him. Sheatana dismounted quietly, following the cobra. She raised her knife, aiming for the midsection. She gracefully threw it, landing square on the mark. The snake spit and hissed for several minute but soon fell still. She walked over and retrieved the knife before cutting off the snake's head.
The prince was bathing in the water when she returned. A small smile crept across her. She shook her head before tying her horse to a tree. She walked to the water's edge carefully getting a drink from the pool.
"You know that there are things in there that will eat you alive," she stated with a small smile.
"Like what? It's too shallow for many things to live," the prince replied.
She shrugged. "Come on. We have snake to cook."
"Snake?"
"Yeah, snake. What you've never eaten cobra before?"
"No."
"You've lived in a desert region all of your life and you tell me that you've never eaten a cobra?"
"Never had to."
"Well, you're in for a cultural experience tonight because all we have is snake, and I'm not going hunting for something else to suit his highness's needs. Find some palms leaves and rocks so we can make a fire pit."
He did as told and returned to find Sheatana playing with two pieces of stone. He handed her the leaves and rocks and stood back, watching her work. She did everything as though she had done it a hundred times before. She set a perimeter with rocks and laid the palm leaves inside before striking the two stones together, causing the leaves to burst into flame. She then skinned a branch of its leaves, spearing the snake end-to-end. She tended the fire a bit longer before laid back, relaxing from the trying day. Aladdin was amazed that she could do all of these things, which were usually done for her.
"How did you learn to do all of this?" he asked, watching mount the snake on two fork branches.
"Well, when I was young Yami and I used spend our time tormenting the palace like the spoiled little brats you would expect us to be. We didn't know any better. I used to be a royal prick, treating the servants like slaves and everything else in between, but all that changed when Seth, our former high priest, came to the palace," she replied, popping a date into her mouth.
"So, did he just show up, or what happened?"
"Seth is not originally from Egypt. A slave trader brought him here, and our empire does not tolerate human buying/selling or trading. My father discovered that there was a slave trader in town, and he decided that he was going to bust him. I insisted upon accompanying him, and he was all too happy to allow me to go. We went to this tent, right in the heart of the city, told him we were interested in something or other, I don't quite remember what it was anymore, but he took us into his hut. I have never felt so angry in my life. There was just cages of humans, mainly children around this place. It was filthy, and I didn't see any food or water lying around. Well, I lost it right there and yelled something like 'Do you have no decency? How can you allow these people to live like this? How can you sell them as though they are objects?' He just said it was a way to make money and that I should shut up about things that I am unable to comprehend. That sent my father through the roof. All in all, we arrested the guy and set all of the people free, all except one."
"Seth, right? Why not?"
"Like I said, Seth is not from Egypt. He's from somewhere in Britain; Stonehenge I think he called it. Well, Seth was in a cage with his eyes covered. I didn't know why, so I asked. The trader said that he had blue eyes and was the work of Osiris and was evil, untamed, the list goes on and on. This was before he knew who we were, so I removed the hood that I had on showing him my blue eyes. I have never seen a man so scared in my life. Anyway, all of the other captives were from Egypt or near here and had family to return to, Seth didn't. I was the one that freed Seth. I opened his cage and removed the blindfold. From his skin tone on his arms and legs, he looked Egyptian, but when I took his blindfold off, the skin was alabaster same as mine. I swear it was like looking at a mirror image."
"So Seth saw you, and just started talking to you like nothing?"
"It took a bit more than that. I talked to him for a few minutes, saying you're typical 'I'm not going to hurt you' stuff, asked him where he was from, if he had any family. He said no. All I had to do was look at my father before he nodded telling me I could. I told Seth that he could live in the palace with me, if he liked. He said yes. That's how we got Seth."
"What happened after that? I mean was he just a play-toy or what?"
"Seth and I were two of the most intelligent people in the castle, although no one took us seriously because we were children. I taught him our language, since he had no idea how to speak it. I'm multi-lingual. In exchange, he taught me how to survive in the wild. We took desert rides and what have you. Yami accompanied us on many occasions and also was with us when we were in the castle. He had a few friends that were with us as well, but you met them your first night here. I spent most of my time with Seth and my brother, that's how we became close friends."
"How did Seth become the high priest?"
"You're very interested in his past, why?"
"I want to know how the two of you became lovers, but I want to know why you love him when he has no royalty in his blood or anything else to offer you. So I decided to look into the past to find the answer."
"You want to know what he did for me that you can do to make me fall in love with you. Am I right?"
"Perhaps."
"I'll answer you're questions, but I can assure you, there is nothing that you can do to make me give up my love for Seth and transfer it to you."
"We'll see. Now, how did he become the high priest?"
"Well, about a year after we rescued him, we were playing around with magic, trying tell the future, and Seth saw that there was going to be a major invasion attempt in seven days. He was laughed at and told that a child could not foresee such things, especially one with no Egyptian heritage. And then, seven days later, it happened. We won of course, but now, Seth was taken seriously. My father suggested that he should be trained to be a priest, Yami and I agreed. Seth said that he would, and he started magic training. I, being the princess, exerted my power over the teachers, demanding that I too be taught magic and that Seth be in my lessons with Yami. My father let me have my wish. I studied magic with Seth and Yami, and they studied mathematics, history, language and other things with me. Soon, Seth was the brightest pupil, and was destined to be high priest. My father guaranteed his spot. All he had to do was go on his pilgrimage."
"When did you become lovers?"
"About a year before he left on his pilgrimage. My father knew. He knew from the beginning. He had said before that we would make an excellent couple. Before Seth left on his pilgrimage, my father told me that, when Seth returned, we would assure that we were married, and that I would take over his throne. To be honest, I never really cared about the throne until my father passed. I was too excited about the thought of Seth and me being married to care. Seth didn't know of the promise my father made. He left and was gone for five years."
"Five years? What didn't he want to come home to you or something?"
"He traveled back to his homeland. By the time he returned from it, five years had passed, but no love was lost. My father was assassinated three years after he left. He left me the throne as promised, but if I took it, I would have to rule by Yami's side, and that was unacceptable. Yami and I have very different views, so there was no way I was letting him have authority with me. I passed the crown to Yami, and he took reign instead. I waited for Seth to return. When I first saw him again I was out on a ride. I saw a horse approaching in the distance, its rider pale. I soon realized that it was Seth. Our reunion was a long one with lots of hugs and kisses. That night, Yami did the ceremony, and Seth became high priest."
"If Yami was friends with Seth than why did he exile him for loving you?"
"That's a power issue. You see, Seth and I were the ones that originally bound the monsters to the tablets, so Yami thinks that if Seth and a band together, we'll overthrow him. He has no idea why I passed up the throne, maybe he'd be a bit more at ease if he knew, but I don't know. As I said, Seth and I bound the monsters, and in doing that we can also release them, as I demonstrated earlier. What Yami doesn't understand is that even apart Seth and I will always be together in spirit. I am proud to say that we have worked through thick and thin, and I will be by his side once again at the end of this war."
"War? Nothing has happened yet. How do you know there will be a war? How do you know that Seth won't simply forget about you?"
"Because he said that he'd be back for me. Seth was always true to his word. He hasn't forgotten about me yet. I saw him last night. He came to my chamber. He told me that we would be together at the end of this! And I believe him."
"I hope for your sake that he is a man of his word. I would hate to see you cry. There is one other thing that's bothering me. Why did you set the same monsters free that you bound five years ago?"
"Well, five years ago I believed everything that Yami said, and he said that if the monsters were not bound, terrible things would happen to us. He appointed Seth to bind them in the first place, and he could have any partner that he desired. He chose me. Why? Because I am someone that he trusts and has trained with all of his life. Yami had no objections because he knew what I was capable of. All of the monsters that we captured in the beginning appeared to be menaces to society, but then, we met the blue-eyed dragons. They were living in a colony, all six of them, hunting for food, water, and shelter. The towns they had destroyed were destroyed because they were threats to the dragons. Seth and I tracked them for three months until we finally cornered them. Somehow, we found that we could understand their language, and we spoke to them. They told us that many villages had tried to slay them simply because they were like other monsters, who had destroyed countless towns. They swore they would live in the desert, away from civilization, but Seth and I had a job to do. We spent three nights with the dragons, negotiating their "capture". I proposed a theory that we could go back and say that they were impossible to capture, but I knew that Yami would only send out another team. I told them this. Soon they finally agreed to allow us to bind them under one condition, that Seth and I would be the only ones in control of them. I asked them why us? Their reply: because we tried to ways that they could live peacefully. I cried when we bound them. It was then that I realized that these monsters, like people, all had different personalities, and that no one was like another. After that Seth and I learned to communicate with the monsters and reason with them. We were able to convince most that a better life awaited them, but we knew it wasn't true. The few that we were not able to convince we were forced to kill. They attacked us with everything they had. I never became adjusted to their defeat. That is why I do not duel often as well. Because most of the monsters they duel with were bound by me. I do not take pride in dueling as I once did before I met the blue-eyes."
"You're a piece of work, let me tell you. First you treat your "servants" as equals, than you're in love with the high priest, and now you can't stand shadow duels when you demonstrated your power for us the first night we were here. How can you do all of this and still be a ruler?"
"I don't know. I was just never one to act like a royal prick."
They sat in silence for the rest of the night. Sheatana refused to sleep. She gently stared at the dieing fire, realizing it represented the amount of control that she had over her life. At first it seemed like complete, but as life wore on the amount dwindled, until there was nothing left.
Tornado: Another chappie! R&R.