Hello, everyone! Since it is Halloween, I was watching a few of my favorite flicks and of course on the op of that list is "The Corpse Bride" from Tim Burton. A thought occurred to me and as a lot of my other fan fictions come about it was also a dream I had: What if somethings were changed, such as the characters involved? Let's give it a try! I present to you: The Mummy Groom! I do not own rights to the characters of "The Corpse Bride" nor Yu-Gi-Oh!
I hope you enjoy!
Summary: To save their family from the poorhouse, the head of the Gardner family has arranged for his daughter to marry the wealthy Kaiba's heir. Neither of the involved young adults wish for the union but what are they to do? A mysterious man appears and offers a solution when an accident occurs.
The Mummy Groom
NOT According to Plan
"You can't force me." Seto Kaiba straightened his shoulders as his adopted father, Gozaburo, sent him a disapproving glare. The young man's sapphire eyes didn't waiver as the large man cleared his throat. Their gazes remained locked for several seconds until their guest awkwardly chuckled. "No offense, but I have no intention of marrying anyone."
Gozaburo's eyes pierced their guest, the head of the Gardner family, his lips lifting into a forced smile. "This man has several connections with some very important people and has come to me with the most promising proposition. You should feel lucky to be marrying such a beauty as she." His deep voice filled filled the space with heavy authority as he turned his gaze to his heir. "Though my own son could not inherit my empire, I will not allow it to disappear into nothing. You will marry the girl and that is final. The engagement announcement will be made immediately and the planning will begin shortly. You may go and wait for further instructions."
His anger beyond concealment, Seto marched from the room and slammed the door behind him so forcefully that it could be felt on the other side of the mansion. Every step he took only stoked the fire in his being that threatened to consume him as he descended the main staircase but the second his eyes met cobalt he fell silent and came to a stop in the entrance of the parlor. She hadn't noticed his presence yet, surprisingly with all of her dancing and twirling to the music she had gotten her ands on, and he felt his anger spark when he spotted her discarded shoes. "I know your situation, but you're in someone else's home. Learn some decent manners." His sudden outburst caused her to jump a foot in the air.
Tea Gardner's eyes flashed with panic before they were filled with anger that held a hint of guilt. She hastily slipped on her shoes with jerky motions. They had left her there to her own devices so why was he being so prickly when it was their fault she had been left to die of boredom? Her father had picked out her best attire for today yet wouldn't explain why. Their best wasn't anything much, everything they owned was made of coarse fabric and was cheaply made, making her feel extremely uncomfortable when she was left alone and was surrounded by the extravagant belongings of the Kaibas. "Sue me for livening up the place with a little music!" Her hand rose, a finger pointing to his chest. "Not that you would get anything of it since we have nothing, as you know. I'm guessing my father has arranged some sort of deal so that we don't have to go to the poorhouse?" Her demeanor and hostility lessened when she noticed the look on his face. He wasn't even looking in her direction as she was speaking and his usual calm collectiveness seemed shaken. "What's wrong?"
With a heavy sigh, his eyes rose to meet her own. "We are to be wed." It was as if the world had stopped spinning as he practically spat those words. Tea shook her head, taking an unsteady step backwards and would have tripped over thrug if he hadn't grasped onto her wrist in time and instead directed her to fall onto the couch. "It's not the end of the world."
"I can't believe it…" Her arms wrapped around herself as her skin prickling with unease when Seto raised an eyebrow. "Not only did my own father barter me off but he bartered me off to you of all people! I can't believe him!"
"You would have preferred someone else, possibly a stranger?" he scoffed. His initial anger when he had found out came back full force as she stood and removed the ribbon from her hair that kept it up in a bun with a yank. "Trust me, your father could have done much worse."
Tea whirled on him, eyes flashing with anger. "You and I can't even be in the same room together for five minutes without us tearing each other apart! We've hated each other since we were children! I can't believe either of our fathers agree to this insanity! The Mutou family would have been so much better than this, at least with their son I can carry on decent conversations and have a pleasant time with!"
Seto's temper flared. Though the Mutous were a lesser standing family they were well known for their games and generosity, along with the fact that they are major contributors of the museum. He hadn't asked to be adopted by the unyielding Kaibas but one of the few things he shared with them was their dislike for that family. He envied their seemingly carefree attitudes and the way they carried out their lives without so much of a thought to what consequences could befall them. "Deal with it, it looks as though we have no choice."
"I'm not about to stand back passively and let this happen." She stood and raked a hand through her hair as she fled the Kaiba mansion. The rain had started hours ago, causing her clothing to become soaked as she practically ran down the street. How could she possibly marry him, Seto Kaiba, of all people? He was so cold and there was a rumor that he has never smiled once in his life. A trip on the brick street caused her to land in a puddle, her already dirty clothing worsening and the thick coarse fabric to cling to her trembling figure as she rose to her feet. The call of her name came from behind but she refused to turn around as her father approached. She gasped as his hand roughly grasped her chin and forced her eyes to met his own. "I refuse."
"Wretch, you will do as you are told. Back inside, like a good little girl, so we can continue the preparations. They have already called for a seamstress to take your measurements for the dress." His grip tightened when she refused to move the her spot as he attempted to take her back into the mansion.
Tea's mind was spinning like a spin wheel already with everything that was happening but she held her ground. That was one of the qualities that many a man had disliked and called her unfit to marry for her strong will. If it wasn't her caring heart she was known throughout the town for her wit. It waivered when she thought of her closest friend and slipped from her father's grasp with a tug. Her father growled lowly, reaching for her arm, but retracted his hand when her cobalt eyes begged for an explanation. He turned on his heel and made his way back to the front door without so much as another word to her. She hardly noticed his departure for she was far too concerned with the thought of someone else. Her feet quickly began running again, this time in a different direction than home. It was so cold that it should have been snowing but no, it was raining, and she was glad of it as her tears mixed with the droplets that pelted her being. Her feet came to a halt before a familiar little place but she couldn't bring herself to knock on their door. This was her problem, not theirs, no matter how she wished for it to change. Why couldn't her stupid greedy coward of a father have chosen this family instead of the Kaibas?
The door opened with a creak, revealing her best friend Yugi who wore a worried expression as he hurried to grab an umbrella. He had seen her approached from his bedroom window and had waited for her to knock but she hadn't, causing him great alarm. "Tea, you're soaking wet." He made to step out into the rain with the open umbrella but she shook her head and took a step back. This earned an almost hurtful flinch but he stayed where he was when she took another step. "Tea?"
He was right there, the boy now man that she had come to depend on and care for so much, but never again could she enjoy his company nor be alone with him after the news was made public. Tea's heart cracked as he attempted to bring her inside. Lips trembling, she shook her head again and took another step backward. "You are the greatest friend I could have ever asked for, Yugi, and I can't even begin to express how much I'm going to miss you." He asked if she was going somewhere and earned a gasp. A new perhaps crazy idea came to her as she took a step towards him but it quickly died when the voice of his grandfather called from within the residence. It would be selfish of her to ask him to leave everything and everyone behind. No, she had to do this alone. Her heart gave another painful squeeze when she retreated the step she had taken. "I wish it was you, I feel as though I could eventually learn to love you differently than how I do now, but we're never going to find out now. I wish you could come with me but I can't ask that of you." A shiver wracked her body as a breeze swept past, causing her hair and clothing to whip her slightly as she turned away. "This is goodbye, dear friend."
It wasn't until she reached the museum that she finally allowed the sobs she was choking back to spring forth and wrack her body as she slipped inside. The cold was now seeped into her bones and causing her teeth to chatter as she huddled close to one of the many exhibits, the tears she had shed so far left burning trails down her cheeks despite the cold temperature and the pelting rain. "What rotten lunch…" she mumbled, catching sight of her reflection in on of the glass protective cases. Hair plastered to her face, clothing dark and much dirtier than this morning, not to mention the deep shadows of doom around her eyes, she looked a fright. "Only a corpse would want to marry someone like me, not that I deserve to find someone who would want me."
The museum was closed already for the day, giving her solace in knowing that she was the only one there as she started a fire in the nearby fireplace. They never lit the thing, even during the winter due to the special artifacts they acquired, she supposed, but she was frankly too cold to care about the relics today. Being crafty was also something that society frowned upon in a woman and she never understood why. She shrugged away the lingering interest in the matter as she managed to gather a few items that she thought would never be missed and threw them into the still growing blaze. Little did she notice that with each item she placed within caused the flame to flash a different color and it wasn't until she had her clothing spread out to dry before the fireplace that she noticed the strange golden light bathing the room. Her eyes darted over the intricate gold frame, noticing strange symbols and carving, instantly recognizing which exhibit she was in: Ancient Egypt.
"I thought Yugi was just kidding when he said this his family practically owned the museum," she whispered, reading the plague next to the fireplace. "I knew they had a fascination with Egypt but I never knew about this. No wonder I could never get Yugi out of this place." It ready that Solomon Mutou himself has excavated several sights within Egypt, providing nearly the entire exhibit that was on display for a limited time until it was time to be showcased somewhere else. Her feet carried her across the marble floor towards the piece she had first come across. It was a scepter made of ivory, intricately decorated with similar symbols as the fireplace. The little title card said it was believed to have been used to initiate new pharaohs. She cringed a little when she came across a set of broken jars with different animal heads for tops and hurried on towards the large stone tablet painting resting near a a large coffin of some sort.
There was a figure of a man dressed in white robes and an elaborate headdress that she recognized as the Eye of Horus. A strange feeling overcame her the longer she studied the painting then looked down at the coffin and noticed that the same image was upon it. There weren't any cards or plagues to tell her who or what they meant, leaving her only one option: speculation. Her finger tapped her chin as she took a step back, face scrunching in though before dipping into a low bow. "I beg forgiveness, mighty pharaoh, for I am unworthy of your presence." She wore she heard the soft sound of drums as she gracefully retreated, one arm over her face as the other extended behind her. "I am a lowly peasant girl, nothing more than an aspiring dancer, you need naught to bother yourself with one such as undeserving as I." Her lips lifted into a sheepish smile as she she chuckled, pretending to act to someone who had said something offensive. "Someone of my standing marry the pharaoh?! Please, I mean no disrespect, but I cannot! Someone of such caliber deserves no less than a princess." She bowed only before an Anubis stature that looked to e made of obsidian. "I humbly as for your forgiveness, I am unworthy to be within your court! Please allow me to excuse myself from your presence, for my lowly appearance has no place here!"
Fatigue finally claimed her quaking limbs and she tumbled to the floor, chest heaving and a thin sheet of sweat covering her. A sneeze pierced the air as her body shook violently. Whatever she had thrown onto the fire was making the entire room smell of lavender and was causing her eyelids to droop. With the coming weariness came the self-loath that she had been attempting to ignore for years. "Why am I like this?" She yawned, curling into a ball next to the coffin. "Here I am, betrothed to the most eligible bachelor who happens to be heir to a large for rations, and I feel like running away or dying. Most girls would be jumping for joy…but not me." She looked up at the painting as a tear slid down her cheek. "I'll tell you why. I can't marry someone like him, someone so cold and heartless. Is it too much to ask for someone to kind, caring yet courageous to come along and yet still let me pursue my dreams of dancing? Wouldn't hurt for them to be handsome. Nothing too overly extravagant because that is sometimes a drawback…someone who understands and values the hard work of those around him and who appreciates what he has… That wealth and power mean little…"
Unbeknownst to her, the fire had begun dancing when she had collapsed. Multicolored parks drifted along a breeze that seemed to come from nowhere and encircled her huddled form as well as the coffin she was leaning against. A chanting had accompanied the breeze, so softly that she couldn't hear, and within one of the crates came the telltale sound of heavy metal pages turning within one of the fabled books that had been thought lost within the sands of Egypt.
"I wonder what you were like…" Her exhausted eyes traced the painting once more before they drifted closed. "If only I could meet someone…marry someone…of my choice…maybe then I could find…true love…" She had already slipped into unconsciousness when a sound came from within the room, not too far from where she slept. In fact, if she had been awake, she would have heard a deep inhale coming from within the sarcophagus she rested against and she would have seen the top of the coffin slide slightly.
Please let me know what you think!