The Prince's silence in captivity is infuriating. Priest Seto paces outside his cell restlessly, watching his rival closely for any sign of how this happened. Heishin remains delighted to hear the Prince has been captured, but his dark amusement rings hollow for Seto, who had been the second to hear the news.
The Meadow Mage that brought him in has spun tall tales of defeating the Prince in combat, each retelling embellished with harrowing details, but Seto's spies tell a different story. The Prince had walked to the Meadow Shrine, hands raised in surrender, and once he'd been recognized that had been that, without even a whisper of protest—and this after he'd risked his life saving Teana from Heishin himself.
Seto doesn't understand it, and Seto will not tolerate what he doesn't understand.
"I'm surprised," Seto admits. "After you risked everything to rescue your friend I wouldn't have expected you to be captured so easily, and certainly not by the first Mage you laid eyes on. You disappoint me."
The Prince meets his gaze and doesn't say a word, though his posture reads as if he's taken offense. The Puzzle still gleams around his neck, unable to be removed until the event of his defeat in a Shadow Game—or his death, which is exactly what Heishin counts on. His schedule for the town festival has been planned to the letter, especially the climax.
"They're going to execute you on the morrow once the festival is through," Seto says, and the Prince nods. "Don't tell me you've accepted your fate already."
The Prince arches an eyebrow at him, almost mischievously, as if he was only just aware of his predicament.
"A man in your position shouldn't be so cavalier. Soon all of Egypt will bear witness to your demise," Seto seethes, filling the looming silence with words.
The priest reins in his barely-concealed anger with effort, taking in the former monarch's seeming unconcern, and a thought—a plan—begins to take shape in his mind.
"Or maybe," the priest muses, "you counted on this. Heishin would want a spectacle of your demise regardless of whether it'd be prudent…and your rebel friends wouldn't let this stand, even if they failed in their attempt to rescue you."
A smile plays at the Prince's lips, and Seto matches it with a sneer.
"I understand your plan now," the priest says, his smirk widening to a grin. "You let yourself be captured in confidence your friends would free you, and then slip away to confront Heishin in the confusion without any Mages to back him up. A dangerous game, but one you have faith in."
Slowly, so the Prince can see every movement, Seto pulls out a shining dagger, tilting it to catch the reflection in his now-widened eyes.
"Of course, I could end this now, without anyone knowing. The guards would assume you'd taken your own life, and whatever rage Heishin would muster, he'd come around once the Puzzle is taken from your cooling body. Your death now would consolidate Heishin's power over Egypt and the world forever. Am I wrong?"
The Prince shakes his head, and Seto relishes the flicker of fear on his face, gone in the time it takes to blink. Just as slowly, he withdraws the knife.
"Then you're lucky I've decided to let you live," the priest continues. "This game you've started will be seen to whatever end you have planned."
Whether Jono, Teana, and the villagers succeed in saving the Prince or not, Heishin and the Mages would be sufficiently distracted—and that, Seto muses, is the opportune time to consolidate his own power. The Millennium Items the Prince had gathered have not yet been returned to their owners, and the ones he hadn't managed to round up remain at the Shrines.
It would be a simple matter to escape in the chaos and collect them all—save one.
"You place great trust in your friends," Seto says, and the Prince nods in agreement.
Seto smirks and extends a hand, offering a challenge. "Then I trust I'll see you at the Shrine of Darkness, Puzzle in hand, when the festivities are over. We shall decide Egypt's fate then, without any outside interference."
The Prince smirks back and nods once more in acceptance; even behind bars he commands respect, and Seto is willing to give it now that he understands his rival's plan.
"Come the morrow, the long game we've played will reach its conclusion. Be ready," the priest says as he withdraws from the cell.
In silence, the Prince waits for morning to come, staring at his Puzzle's unblinking eye.
Whether in light or in darkness, Egypt's fate rests in his hands, and the Prince refuses to give it up as easily as he pretended. Win or lose, he will fight to the end and see the game through.