Disclaimer: Not owned by me!
Chapter 3
Atemu and Bakura met every day over the following few weeks. Always at the same time, Bakura would come over the wall and find Atemu waiting in the bushes. He would have the occasional treasure for Bakura to take back to his master but he still came with bruises every other day where his master would beat him. Atemu longed for a way to help him escape but it seemed there were none.
"When I'm older, I'll help you I promise." Atemu said. Bakura still didn't know that it was the heir to the throne of Egypt that he was talking to every day and Atemu never mentioned it as he didn't want the young thief to treat him any differently. In those few short weeks, they had become fast friends and shared many secrets and laughs with each other.
No one questioned Atemu as to where he vanished off to for an hour each day they just presumed he was playing.
One day Bakura came with some sad news for Atemu.
"I'm going to run away with Ryou." He said. "We need to go far away where the master won't find us and can't beat us anymore. I can work to feed us and it will be better."
Atemu was distraught. The first real friend he had ever had was going away and he perhaps wouldn't see him again, ever.
"Stay." He begged but Bakura shook his head.
"I can't, I need to get the both of us away from him. Don't worry I'll be fine."
The prince knew that Bakura cared a great deal for Ryou and would do anything to avoid him getting a beating from the master and after all they spent a whole lot more time together than he and Bakura ever had or ever could.
"I understand, one day I hope we'll see each other again." He said hopefully. They hugged and tears were shed as Bakura crept back over the palace wall and waved at the top for the last time.
Atemu made his way back to the palace with his shoulders slumped still crying. He felt more alone than ever and half wished he had never met Bakura as he wouldn't feel so bad to have never made a friend than to have made one and have it taken away.
He didn't return to his lessons but instead went to his room. He told the guards on duty that he didn't want to be disturbed and once his door was locked, he allowed the tears to flow again as he cried for his lost friend.
Atemu's tutor became angry when Atemu did not return to his lessons and went to find him.
"I'm sorry, the prince does not wish to be disturbed." The guards told him when he came to Atemu's rooms.
He tried to get past them but they wouldn't allow it so he stalked off to find someone to make the prince come out.
The priestess Isis was in the library studying books when the tutor came across her.
"Priestess, I wonder if you would talk to the prince, he was supposed to return for his lessons this afternoon but he never came back. He is in his room and does not wish to be disturbed."
"Well then he will not want me either." Isis said evenly noting his agitated tone.
"But he needs to learn." He protested.
"Well I think for today you can leave him. The prince is not one who usually does this so I am sure he will be back to normal soon."
"Very well." He said annoyed and stalked off leaving Isis to wonder what was the matter with the young prince.
Putting her books away, Isis made her way to Atemu's rooms but was stopped by the guards.
"The prince wishes to be left alone." They said though not unkindly as everyone liked the soft spoken priestess.
"I sense the prince is very miserable." She said. "I don't think he should be alone."
The guards looked at each other unsure. Atemu had ordered that he wasn't to be disturbed but Isis could sense his misery. They were still deciding what to do when the door opened and Atemu peered round.
"Isis, I thought I heard you, can I talk to you?"
Isis bowed low.
"Yes of course my prince."
She followed Atemu into his room and closed the door.
"What is wrong your highness?" She asked.
"I have a secret to tell you Isis but you must swear never to tell another living soul about it." Atemu said rather fiercely.
"Yes of course." Isis said wondering what on earth the secret was. Well it couldn't be anything too awful but she never expected what Atemu told her.
He told her all about Bakura coming over the wall and them becoming friends and now he was gone. At this point Atemu started crying again and Isis put her arms round him to comfort him. Prince or not, he still needed a shoulder to cry on sometimes.
"Your highness it is not good to be a friend to thieves, they will only betray you in the end."
"Bakura wouldn't." Atemu said knowing that his white-haired friend would never betray him.
"I hope you're correct young prince." Isis said. She wished Atemu had chosen to tell someone else about this but she would stick to her promise and not tell anyone else.
Bakura managed to escape with Ryou that night when the master fell asleep drunk. They ran through the deserted streets until they left the city when they slowed to a walk.
They eventually came to rest under a rock and slept there until dawn when they started out again.
Towards the evening, they came to a village in the desert and took a much needed drink from the well in the middle of it.
"We need to find somewhere to sleep." Bakura said gently seeing how tired Ryou was. There was an alley between two houses that they found and curling up together, they slept.
The hustle and bustle of village life woke them both the following morning and they set about finding someone to work for. Ryou let Bakura do the talking after all he was the better one at it and by the end of the day, he had landed them both a job working for the village bakery fetching and carrying. They were given food and a place to sleep and for the first time in their lives, they thought things were looking up for them.
Back at the palace, Atemu threw himself into his studies with enthusiasm. It helped him to not think about Bakura if he had to concentrate on the scrolls and papyrus that his tutor kept giving him.
Unbeknown to Atemu, The priest Akunadin was planning to create the seven Millennium Weapons using sacrifices from a village he had in mind. He did not tell the Pharaoh how they were going to be created, he merely asked permission to create them for peace by any means necessary.
The Pharaoh gave his consent and so the priest gathered an army together and set off for the village.
Bakura and Ryou were working in the back of the bakery shop when it happened. The Pharaoh's men marched into the village and suddenly there were shouts and screaming.
"Let no one escape!" Akunadin shouted to his men who split up and began to kill everyone they came across. Bakura grabbed Ryou and they both darted out of the back of the shop to hide. There was a roadway separating them from a wall where they could hide. There were no guards in sight so Bakura took Ryou's hand and dashed across the street with him. He made it letting go of Ryou's hand at the last minute.
He dived behind the wall and lay there panting but Ryou never joined him.
He took a look back and gasped in horror as he saw the fate of his best friend.
A soldier had grabbed the youngster just before he was able to dive behind the wall. Bakura hadn't been seen so he was safe but he felt sickened to his very soul when he saw Ryou dragged into the middle of the street and his throat slit viciously.
He wanted to cry out, to run to him but he knew he was already dead as the soldiers laughing, let him fall to the ground in a pool of his own blood.
"Ryou." Bakura whispered tears falling from his eyes. The smell of smoke filled his nostrils as the guards set fire to the village. Bakura crouched behind the wall weeping for his lost friend who he had treated like a brother until all fell silent save for the crackle of the burning buildings which mercifully never went near where he was.
He waited until he was sure it was safe before he crept out and ran to his friend who was still lying where he had been left.
Pulling the body to him he wept more tears until he had none left to shed.
They had been the Pharaoh's men who had done this evil. Doubtless they were following the orders of the Pharaoh himself. What kind of Pharaoh orders the slaughter of an entire village for seemingly no reason at all?
Bakura had no idea but one thing he was sure of as the darkness of hatred entered his soul, The Pharaoh was going to pay for this atrocity…
TBC…