Next chapter of 'free of guilt', sorry for the delay!
Big thanks and lots of love to those who reviewed (by email, ff . net or msn)
A/N's to reviewers (longish, scroll through to the long white space if ya like):
12
Strega
Yeah well, usually I don't care that much about delays, I mean, I personally rather have a story that updates each month and is good at each chapter, than one which updates each day and holds so much errors and is not pleasant to read, but this was incredible long delay
Snow Angel
No problem
Dragoness of Fire
Hmm, I've seen the newest episoded of yugioh, there were horses indeed
Yana5
Here's your chapter
Charmeleon
I would've done it if it was possible, but I have floppy below and zipfloppy upstairs, my floppies have the tendence to get their sectors scrambled, rendering them useless, so that wasn't an option (I usually use my site-space though, but I had no I-net connection)
Cathrath
I do? Well, I am surely trying to put Yami as nasty (I keep the scene in mind that Isis showed Seto with the ring, when Seto got obelisk t tormentor; when Yami is sitting on his throne while his priests fight against Seto's little rebbellion? Yami sure looked a bit arrogant in my eyes).
Can Yugi melt Yami's heart? Hehe, I am not spilling any plotlines, you'll have to read!
loveranime-smiles-09
Thanx for saying so, glad you like it.
Anime Crazed
Didn't update soon, hope ya forgive me? Thnx for reviewing!
cwthewolf
Hmm, the title might return in this chapter, well, in Holland princes tend to turn kings, and then return to princes, if I remember correctly (I dun care much about my land's kingdom)
loveranime-smiles-09 and animemanga=huge fan )
loveranime-smiles-09: thanx for saying so, I'm actually blushing nice to hear this!
animemanga=huge fan: I am sure there are many persons on from whom I can still learn a lot, though. Well, I'm not arrogant, nor have a big ego, not at all, but I know I'm good when I want to be. Thanx for reviewing!
Strega
Wouldn't it be great that I'm able to make you hate a character you like so much? This is just a fanfic, so the real Yami remains the kind person he simply is.
Yugi already has a backbone, I dun need to give it to him, he started this story off with a fine firm one. (Vices, what's the meaning of that word? Teach me please!) And just as with Cathrath, I'm not giving off any plotlines.
Pharaohs Angel
Thank you, hope you like this chapter.
Yana5
Thnx!
Tenshi Girl
Roflmao! Like to see what ya make of this chapter!
[Dark Horizons]
Yugi snuggled into the pillow and sighed contently, yesterday had been rather peaceful, and he felt quite content with the morning sun slowly shining into the room.
"Yugi..." He heard Atemu murmur and he grinned as the other guy huddled closer to him, softly embracing him.
"Pharaoh? It's morning, didn't you say you had important meetings and all?" he whispered and felt how Atemu startled, "damn, yes!" the larger weight shifted away from him and he silently watched how Atemu ran through the room and entered the bathroom, emerging in full clothing exactly 2 minutes later and Atemu quickly left the room.
Yugi chuckled and jumped out of bed, he stretched his body and began to cleaning the room, softly humming to himself.
Atemu sighed as he went on his way to the throneroom, back to audiences, back to the problems a ruler of Egypt burdens.
He crossed the room and sat down on the royal seat, a servant placed a glass of wine besides him and retreated, for the rest he was enveloped in silence.
"Where's Yugi? I want him by my side for the meeting" he called, his voice bouncing against the stoneworks around him.
"Your personal servant is unable to be here, your Highness, allow me to take his place, though" a voice sounded from his right and Atemu lowered his jaw a bit in a sly grin, "why can't he be here, Priest?" he questioned and drank from his wine, waiting for an answer.
Seth looked at the pharaoh and tried to keep his face calm-looking, "He is doing his servant chores" he replied, trying to keep the malice out of his voice, "I chose not to disturb him as it would be a good oppurtunity to make his status clear to him" he explained and Atemu nodded, "very well, who do we have today?"
Seth smiled and opened a scroll, reading from it, "we have several villagers with requests for a listening ear; we have several counsellors from heliopolis and one from Tiftisa , and...."
"And what?"Atemu gritted his teeth as he waited for Seth to finish his speech, "we have the captain of the guard with a soldier" Seth finished and looked at the tricoloured man in front of him, "has been in lock-up since... yes, two months ago, arrived with the slave-cargo from one of the more lesser important villages yesterday" Atemu nodded and brought his hand to his chin, thinking silently, "alright, let's begin" he ordered and didn't have to wait long before several villagers entered the throneroom and bowed in deep respect.
"Tell me your troubles, men" Atemu said, seeing, feeling the fear that radiated from the men in front of him.
One of the men stepped forward and bowed a second time, "My pharaoh, we are villagers from the isles up north, by the sea... we have had very disturbing sights when we looked over the ocean..." he glanced back at the other men and another one came forth, "We saw ships, my lord, warships, but we could not determine their origin... they disappeared in the mists everytime, and we always see them at the same time; just before Amun-Ra is eaten by goddess Net" the man hesitated and then continued, Atemu listening closely, "the sky turns red, like blood, and we hear horns blowing... my pharaoh, there are warships on the sea, bringing fog with them as they sail..."
Atemu frowned and crossed his arms, "and each one of you has seen these ships?" the group stepped aside and a shaking man raised his hand, "I've seen them, my lord, together with my wife, and a few other women saw them on other days... the ships were heavily armed, and they were sailing towards the river Nile, straigth at us, but everytime fog would envelope them and they would disappear, never coming closer"
He closed his eyes and thought deeply, smiling a feral grin and he stood up, "My followers, I must send you back, your eyes are being mislead by trickery, surely there is a darkling among you who is able to conjure these images... go to the palace temple and ask the priests to place a blessing upon you to undo the spell... Egypt is guarded by the Shadow Powers, no land would attack it" he then motioned for them to leave, and as the villagers left, he glanced at Seth, who shrugged, "probably something wrong in the food" they both said at the same time.
Ryou walked calmly through the hallways, Honda had been to busy for him, so that left him with wandering about, his chores were well finished and he was getting quite bored.
And whenever Ryou got bored, he would visit his friends.
Thus the silverhair ended up by Atemu's private quarters, and he peered inside through the gap in the door, "Yugi-chan!" he grinned and stepped inside, watching how the boy smiled at him and continued his work: cleaning the desk, "how're you this morning, Ryou-kun?" Yugi asked and Ryou walked up to him, "I'm doing pretty alright, as ever" brown eyes studied the boy and concern flashed into the eyes, "Yugi? Is your back still hurting?" he ask worried but Yugi shook his head and gave the other servant a broad smile, "no, it isn't, me is feeling excellent, why do you ask?"
Ryou smiled and shook his head softly, "I was just concerned, that's all, I mean, you did got a nasty beating" he whispered and Yugi looked away, "I rather not talk about it anymore, I've learned my lesson well" he turned and entered the bathroom to get some more water, "I was wrong, nothing to do about that" Ryou nodded and looked around, "well, you sure know how to clean up" he commented and Yugi smiled as he entered back again.
"Well, I've had enough practice, of some sort" the teen replied and Ryou frowned, "but you were found in a pagan village, forest dwellers?" Yugi nodded and shrugged, "so? Nothing much difference here" he said as he started to clean the desk, carefully laying away some objects.
"Yeah, I guess so" Ryou said and smiled, "well, I'll be on my way again" he said and planted a soft kiss on Yugi's cheek, "see ya later" he said as he left the room, leaving Yugi behind with a soft blush on his cheeks.
"Yeah, see ya around" Yugi whispered and grinned a bit, watched how silver hair left around the corner.
"Next!" Atemu shouted and took another sip from his wine, sighing, he really hated counsellors, but they were just the type of people he couldn't afford to put away with, so he ended up listening to their monotone voices and road-long reports.
"My pharaoh.... The counsellor of Tiftisa" Seth whispered and Atemu unwillingly brought his attention back, taking the person standing in front of him up into memory, "Tiftisa... is a Nubian village" he summed up, "close to the border of Egypt, but not under Egypt's reign" 'yet', Atemu thought, noticing the nervous look on the counsellor's face, "so what brings you here?" he asked and sat a bit more upright.
The counsellor looked around nervously and licked her lips, "Shelter, Pharaoh of Egypt, shelter for me" the woman spoke and Seth widened his eyes, "Shelter?! That's absurd!" he spat and Atemu raised his hand, "let her speak further; shelter for what?"
The counsellor looked at the ground and closed her eyes, "my name is Kya, Pharaoh, my city was destroyed overnight. I took a horse and fled to Nubia's capitol... but the road was cut off... I had nowhere to go but here" She lifted her head and shivered, "the city watch had no way of seeing them coming, they were upon us in an instant, murdering everyone they could get their hand... no, their claws on!" she cried out and threw herself onto the floor, "I beg shelter, mighty Pharaoh! My entire city was destroyed, in one night!"
"She's clearly insane, my lord" Seth whispered into Atemu's ears but the pharaoh frowned, "maybe... Kya!" he stood up and walked towards the woman, "I'll have a servant take you to a room, you'll be given opportunity to report to your capitol, arrange for travel and get back to your own land" he snapped his fingers and immediately a servant helped the counsellor up, leading her out of the room.
"Seth, come with me, we have a messenger to check it out to see if it's true what she said" Atemu walked out of the throneroom, Seth following at his side, "because the villagers were speaking of warships, Pharaoh? May I say that Tiftisa and the northern ocean have a lot of distance between them?"
"Maybe so, but I'm not taking any chances" Atemu replied sternly as they walked over the courtyard.
"Pharaoh Atemu!" a voice shouted and Atemu turned his view to watch how Honda ran up to them, two guards dragged a chained man along, "I just missed you in the throneroom, I guess, my apologies" the captain saluted and pointed at the guy laying in the dust by his feet, "this is the soldier we got in with the slave-ship; walked in the harbour wounded, but he has foreign armour, which has been removed"
Atemu looked at the guy, "lift him up" he ordered and the two guards roughly yanked the guy into a kneeling position, "look at me" he commanded and the guy looked up at him through yellow strings of unkept hair, brown eyes burning in fierceness and fever "hmm, where are you from, blonde?"
"He won't tell..." Honda said and the brown eyes locked on him, the blonde bared his teeth a little in a menacing snarl, which was spotted by Atemu, "I cannot use this... beat it out of him right now" Atemu crossed his arms as one of the guards ran off.
Yugi grinned as he left the room, it was clean as can be and he was sure Atemu would be pleased.
"Pharaoh!" he squealed as he entered the throneroom, but Atemu wasn't there, "Atemu?" Yugi whispered and suddenly heard cries of agony, "courtyard?" he wondered, his eyes widening in shock and concern and he quickly left the throneroom.
'What's happening?" he wondered, scared to approach the sound, but he really didn't had a choice, what if someone needed his help? 'yeah, little I can do..." he thought pessimistic and halted at the entrance to the courtyard.
"By Isis..." he whispered as he gasped in shock, watching how a man was being beaten with wooden sticks, crying out.
"Atemu..." Yugi growled as his eyes locked onto the Pharaoh, who didn't seem to be bothered by the hurt of the male, "how can you?"
Right then Atemu bowed towards the man, listening to something he was saying and Yugi quickly ran to hide behind a stone pillar before Atemu raised himself again.
"Throw him into one of the prison cells" Atemu ordered and turned around, beckoning the High Priest to follow him, "so, his name is Joey, he's a freelance mercenary, orphan, he made the armour himself" he repeated and Seth looked to the ground, Atemu resting his crimson eyes on his form for a second, "nothing smart and diminishing to say?" he asked and Seth looked up in shock, "I.. I don't know, my Pharaoh"
Atemu nodded and continued along, widening his eyes as through the gate in front of him, a large red stallion with bloodshot eyes dashed onto the courtyard, running in stretched out galop as it's rider tried to calm it down.
Then the horse ran up to Atemu and Seth and halted in front of them, ears moving to pick up any sound. The rider jumped off just as guards ran up to him, "Pharaoh Atemu, Ruler of Egypt... I have important news!" the rider pushed the swords of the guards brutally aside, "there's an army on the Nubian border! They are making camp and seem to come from Dyalo pass!" the rider breathed heavily and wiped the sweat from his face.
"How many?!" Atemu widened his eyes and stepped up to the stranger, "lots, sir, uncountable, millions, but not Nubian, sire, not Nubian!"
"Get the stallion to the stables... messenger! You immediately are to take a drink, and be on your way to the legion fort, you'll be filled in on the location and you'll get a palace horse, now go!" the rider nodded and turned around, a servant quickly leading him away as another one took care of the stallion.
Yugi silently pressed himself against the pillar, listening to the conversations and watching the actions of those around the Pharaoh.
His eyes were sparkling fiercely, and his fists were clenched as he listened intently, he certainly did not look like a little angel at the moment, but the pillar perfectly hid him from view.
"Pharaoh..." Seth breathed heavily as he paled, "Dyalo pass....." he didn't need to finish his sentence as Atemu nodded:
"Tiftisa is at the head of that pass..... ."
So! Bit longer chapter as compensation, hope you folks liked my work, see? Joey is there now as well! He won't be in lock-up for that long (grins) dun flame me! Me has interesting plans and I bet you'll surely like it!
(Before you review, think this over: what you think you're reading, may not be what you're actually reading... and what you think has happened also may not be what has happened)
Well, I haven't been updating in a long while, but I haven't died or anything, I just couldn't bring myself up to write (had lots of business and problems to take care off)
But I am an author, so I'll never leave a story unfinished. There might be a chance that I am going to search for a different server to place my stories up though, since I really do not approve the Fanfiction . net server accessing my uploads and stripping the entire layout to dust, ya don't let a mule loose in your rosegarden either, right?