Thanks for all those who were so kind as to review, and especially not loose faith in this story, despite the authoress having little time in writing.
Special Ryou fluff/fun in this chapter, fun more like it... and please dun flame me!
Mastani
She quietly left the bed, fearful of making a sound as she dressed herself.
She took one glance at the man in the bed, whose calm breathing brought a satisfied smile on her face.
Taking the last of her possessions, Theana left the room of the High Priest Seth, her sleek form and auburn hair ignored by the temple guards as a familiar sight.
She quietly made her way back to the servant quarters, her mind in deep thought.
Because Atemu had pronounced the state of war against the 'Nubian' army, cities were barricaded and whole Egypt was under pressure. Though even a fool could figure out that the opposing force was not Nubian and not human. Suddenly Theana found herself on the ground, she looked at the one in front of her and she growled. "Mastani! You stupid slut, watch where you're going!" She jumped up and pushed the other servant roughly to the ground.
Then she continued her way.
Mastani waited until Theana was well out of sight before she got up from the ground.
She brushed the dirt from her thorn clothes and looked around, seemingly looking for something special.
"In Amun's name, who is sneaking around these sacred halls?" Mastani startled and quickly pulled a hidden lever, walking into the new passage before the one who startled her turned the corner.
She sighed as the door closed behind her, the temple guard left behind beyond the wall.
XXX
It was cold, but he was used to that, he spend so many nights out in the cold.
He brushed yellow strains of hair out of his face as he softly petted his horse, it was nice of the Pharaoh to let the little speckled mare stay in the royal stables.
"Hey, you're up late" a voice startled him and he turned around, coming face to face with the owner of the sleek tenor, "uhm, yeah... just taking care of my horse..." he replied, noticing the whiteness of the boy's hair, "you're the servant from the kitchens, aren't you?" he asked.
Ryou laughed and nodded, "I am, I am, I'm the Pharaoh's faithful servant, in charge of food supplies" he winked and patted the mare gently on the nose.
He grinned as he crossed his arms, rubbing them softly, "it's a clear night" he noticed as he looked up in the sky, leaning a bit from under the roof that was raised at the end of the stables, "..and cold" Ryou added.
He grinned, "want to know what soldiers do to keep warm when they're on watch?" he eyed the silverhair carefully as Ryou straightened himself and approached him, "I know what they do...." He said, grinning, "I see the captain..." The blonde widened his eyes as Ryou leaned in and kissed him, he hadn't have guessed that the servant from the kitchen was as low minded as himself...
XXX
Mastani carefully moved through the secret passages, coming out on patrol ways ones in a while before ducking into another hidden passage.
She entered a room and waited till the guards had passed before she walked further, coming up to the shrine of Bast.
"In the past they would've looked away, I could've walked through the halls without being bothered and now....... I must sneak around!" she hissed but became calm as she knelt in front of the shrine, silently bringing the offers she had brought along.
A sudden sound caused her to startle and dash to a pillar to hide, she carefully looked around and found the sound to come from a doorway near her, it was ajar yet she hadn't entered through it.
'That's strange...', Mastani silently walked over and peered inside, taking the surroundings in and she sighed relieved, there was someone by the offering pool making prayers, 'probably someone staying late to pray for his family' she thought and turned to leave, not at all surprised that some villagers requested to spend nights at the palace temple instead of their own small shrines.
"Anubis, Guardian of Lost Souls, take these sacrifices in the name of the Pharaoh, he who was chosen so by thy godly ruler Amun. Take the ashes of the shanty that burned...." Mastani froze as she heard the words being spoken and she whirled around, seeing how the figure was indeed emptying a bag into the offering pool and bowing, resuming his prayers; "may the ashes of the shanty that burned be received in the name of my Pharaoh. Anubis, Guardian of Lost Souls, take these sacrifices in the name of the Pharaoh, he who was chosen so by thy godly ruler Amun. Take the rusted key that froze in the lock of the palace old stables.... may the rusted key that froze in the lock of the palace old stables be received in the name of my Pharaoh..."
Mastani felt her pulse quicken as she saw the ripple that was created in the water, 'I, I have to stop this! He's insulting the gods!' she opened the door and started to run up to the person by the pool, but halfway she stopped as he turned to another prayer, entirely different.... "Anubis, Egyptian Deity, Guardian of Lost Souls passed away, hear my prayer, hear my calling, in my master's name... accept our humble offers, accept the oil for embalmment, accept the scripture of prayers my master gave me... forgive his absence by this offering, remember his presence by all the others...."
She didn't understand, she was unable to figure out even the smallest sense in this all, and as she was standing frozen in thought, the person rose and turned around, tracing his view over the girl, she got out of thought and saw.... The person who had talked to the captain, but mostly, to the high priest..... she gasped.
XXX
"R...Ryou...." He shuddered as he ran his hand under the shirt of the silver hair, surprised by the willingness of the servant.
"You know, boys.... Curfew is on for a long time already, watch has tightened, and everyone is on edge because of the war" a female voice rang and both looked around shocked.
Theana smiled as she leaned against the doorpost, amused by the two boys pretending nothing happened.
"Don't mind me, but you seem to be volunteering to have a tulwar digged down your chest" she said and yawned, "and I recon a sword isn't anything pleasurable to have there" she slowly walked over and looked at Ryou, her face becoming stern.
"Ryou... weren't you supposed to get up early tomorrow? Or... this day?" "I... I am early up, Theana, Re will rise within the hour" Ryou grinned in reply at the woman's disapproving face, "you can't touch me, I'm on legal grounds..."
"Owh really? What then if the captain hears what you are doing in the mornings? Or.. the pharaoh? I figure sneaking around and doing..... indecency, here......." She didn't finish her sentence as she shot a venomous look at the blonde that was listening to them, "but then again... you have always been easy in trust... especially trusting filthy streetrats and prisoners" she finished and turned around, "next time I catch you, I'll report"
"Geeh, what's her problem?" the blonde growled.
"Probably didn't get much fun tonight" Ryou shrugged, "I... I better get back to the kitchens, I have work to do..." he resumed, his voice lacking of the affectionate tone it held, "Don't know if she isn't gonna send a guard over yes or no"
He nodded and turned back to his horse, "then I'll see you sometime later"
Ryou grinned and nodded, "owh, probably"
XXX
"It's you!" Mastani stepped backwards in shock as she looked at the person, "You have been the cause of all this!!"
The person grinned at her and a mature voice answered her call of utter shock, "yes, of course it's me, who did you expect?" She took another step back as the person in front of her came forward, the light of the few candles barely illuminated the face but she still knew who was standing in front of her.
"I... I can't let you get away with this, I will warn the guards! The pharaoh!!" She shuddered and turned to run.
The person by the offering pool grinned wider and waited as the girl was crossing the temple room, trying to open the doors by pulling the large O-rings with all her might.
"Little girl, you're so sad, to think that you can stop this what has been planned" Mastani turned around shocked as she discovered that the doors wouldn't budge, "what..... what has been planned? You...." Her voice trailed away as the other human approached her...
XXX
Atemu allowed his horse to blindly follow those of the royal escorts, his body well adapted to the movements of the white stallion under him.
Still he was puzzled at how it could've happened, without anyone ever noticing something of it... what kind of guards did he have at the palace?
'It will take me a miracle to keep the people in some good respect with this added....' He thought, his mind trailing off to the battle that was being fought at the inner circle of Egypt.
"hmm?" Atemu looked to his side as he snapped out of his thoughts, noticing Yugi on the small brown mare he had given him for this ride.
He noticed that Yugi was staring at the horse's ears and manes, his face awfully pale and Atemu felt how a faint streak of sadness and concern went through him.
"Yugi..... what's wrong?" he asked as he brought his stallion closer so they could talk.
"N...nothing" Yugi answered softly and looked away, suppressing shudders that went through him.
Atemu sighed and looked ahead, the city of Heliopolis was getting closer and closer, but they had some sort of time still.
"Mastani...... was a good servant" he finally started, "I received her from Heliopolis, the city of Amun, as a token of their appreciation when I took my father's place as Pharaoh of the Double Lands..." Yugi briefly glanced at Atemu, not understanding where this sudden story came from.
"She was always there.... Fast, and she knew when something required her duties, she was almost as good as Ryou...." Atemu chuckled softly, for no servant had matched Ryou, ever, "When I stood up, she washed me, my clothes were ready... by the time I arrived in the throne room, she was there, ready to sit by my feet, to attend to any needs, and so it went on... even at the end of the day, the bath would be filled and scented, and she even would've cleaned the room and made sure the new clothes of the next day would be ready..." Owh, he got it now... Atemu was musing about the best personal servant he ever had.... Yugi felt how his guts cringed in hurt and nervousness, he himself.... He had been a poor servant, he didn't know when he had to do something. In fact, he wasn't even aware of all his chores... he even refused to fulfil a personal servant's most prided chore.... to attend to even the needs that were left unspoken in noble's mouth yet they were...... Yugi felt how his cheeks began to glow with a faint blush and he quickly looked away.
Atemu looked at his servant from the native village, and interpreted his turned away look for a gesture of misunderstandment, "even if Mastani was better, she was to... eager, to joyful of her position in such a rank..." The Pharaoh noticed that Yugi kept himself turned away, and he closed his mouth to simply look, 'I haven't gone bitter on Yugi forsaking most of his duties, it proves that... he has standards, a certain pride.....' he looked forwards to the looming city, 'I want to earn his duties... and if so.... Would that be what mother meant? One day you will find yourself in the position of serving instead of ruling?' the thought of his mother suddenly made him grasp the reigns tight, his eyes narrowed and he hissed.
"Yugi.... Mastani's death is mourned, but not by you, you are my servant and though she ones had your rank, her death had been a result of her own stupidity.... I do not want you to give any thought about it!" Yugi gasped and paled, looking shocked as Atemu drove his horse to greater speed, the escort following to keep up.
"Why?..... what is it that makes you act this way?" Yugi whispered dumbfounded as he gently nudged his mare to follow, Atemu's sudden change of mood had shocked him, it was a stunning difference with the way he had been a few minutes before.
XXX
"So, Atemu.... You say Mastani has been found dead in the temple compound?" Atemu looked sternly and nodded, it was not easy, not even for him, to go to the scribes of Heliopolis personally to tell them that the servant had died.
"You replaced my daughter, my offer, by a heathen boy..... is that rumour true?" Atemu simply looked at Yugi, kneeling by the doorway, and looked back to the man in front of him.
"And now, my offer..... the gift that was supposed to please the gods, was killed? By a desert lion? In a.... temple?!" .... No, this wasn't easy....
Atemu watched undisturbed as the man in front of him paced around the room, a nerve on his brow was vibrating violently and for a moment, Atemu was somewhat concerned that the man would have a heart attack.
"Atemu...... you do know that Seth has been noticing changes in the favour that the gods hold on Egypt? This sudden war, the disease that has contaminated whole of Egypt..... Now the death of the sacred servant?"
He had noticed, and a little voice in the back of his head was agreeing with the accusations, thus slowly enraging him even more.... He was being lectured like a kid!
"My good priest, I have personally delivered this message to you, I mourn Mastani's death just as you do, but at the moment I have more important manners to attend to" with that, Atemu rose and walked away, leaving the priest behind in the small room.
"Prepare the horses, we're leaving!" the escorts jumped to their feet as the Pharaoh shouted the order, the meeting had only taken two hours, shorter than they expected the return of their ruler would be.
"Atemu....." Yugi mumbled as he lowered his head, "Where are we going now?" he asked, causing Atemu to turn, "we're going to a place close by, we....." he started to answer, yet he could not finish his sentence as a messenger from the palace halted in front of him, "My Pharaoh! We have migrants heading for the palace!! They come from all directions, from the villages that have been destroyed by the enemy! They will be at the palace within a day!"
He gritted his teeth, what were the villagers expecting from the palace, shelter? "We're returning immediately! Messenger, go find the captain of arms, order the royal army back to the palace! Let's go!" Yugi felt himself roughly being pushed onto his mare, and with a small squeak he braced himself, asking his body forgiveness for another torturing ride, he would never get used to the desert sands... somehow he wondered how Atemu was planning on defending Egypt, seeing that the enemy had already taken in half of the land.
'Perhaps he has no plan.....'
XXXXXXX
Author's note: thanks for those who reviewed on the last chapters, I hope people aren't angry at me for not updating for quite a while, one for which I again make my dearest apologies, but school is simply taking a heavy toll on my free time ::cries::
I am not gonna say that I will update soon, I can only say that I will try my very best....