Technically this is the second chapter of the week, cause I posted the last one on Sunday, but I hope you all enjoy it! This is one of my favorite chapters cause Timaeus is such a bad ass!
And like I promises we see a new face who will play a role in the coming chapters and possibly the story ;)
Disclaimer: You know the drill, i own nothing but the plot. Yugioh characters all belong to Takehashi (even the anime only characters), any and all historical figures are fictional and in no way pertain to the real people.
Special thanks to Val for getting the chapter back to me so fast! And for helping me decide who to make the Physician ;) I know a few were wondering if we'd see more of the yugioh characters in this so I decided to add a few before we get to Atlantis ;) hope you like the one I picked ;)
As always read, review, critique comment and go nuts with theories!
Chapter VIII: Trierarch
Neither man spoke. Yugi's eyes expanded in shock, and his mouth opened and closed like a fish gasping for air. Timaeus had not moved nor spoken a word, but his stance indicated that one false step and his balance would be lost.
Dartz was unsurprised by the reactions. His mouth remained a neutral, dignified line, but his eyes smiled. "I trust that won't be a problem?"
Timaeus unfroze and coughed into his hand, clearing his throat and giving him time to collect himself. "With all due respect, Your Highness," he spoke with as much grace as he could muster, "As Trierarch, I have other duties I need to oversee during this voyage. Perhaps our guest would be better left in our Physician's care?" he suggested, but his argument was a desperate squeak.
Rebellious annoyance replaced Yugi's shock and he stepped forward, purposely shoving Timaeus out of his way. "King Dartz," he bowed his head out of respect, but met the man's eyes when he came up, "I am extremely grateful for your kindness and generosity, but please understand, I am not a child and as such, I do not need—nor want—a caretaker. I'm grateful for your aid and I am aware of your promise to the Per-A'Ah, but I'd much rather earn my keep."
Dartz looked at them both, but remained unyielding. "I understand both your concerns well," he assured, then his mask became a frown. "But I'm afraid I cannot adhere to either of your requests." He silenced their stunned protests with a gaze of regal authority. His eyes hardened with adamancy. "You, Ujalah, are a guest on this ship and I have no desire to offend Psusennes by having you work like a common servant. You owe me nothing in regards to your transport. Secondly, you are still recovering from your injuries. Whether you believe they are severe or not is irrelevant—the fact is, you were attacked and you need to recover. As such, I am not permitting you to leave until our physician agrees you are fully healed. Until then, I cannot permit you to wander on your own. Thirdly, you were attacked by our men." He'd stressed the word with a growl of furious betrayal. Worse than the fury he'd seen on Timaeus when he'd struck his traitorous comrades down.
"I will explain the situation to him," Yugi argued quickly. "I know those men were acting against orders! He will understand if I—"
Dartz cut him off with a sharp, low bark. "They were our men. Timaeus is their Trierarch, and I am their King. I am responsible for all of my generals' men and their actions. If even a single soldier falters, then all those who remain must know the consequences of their comrade's actions, lest they start to think they can escape prosecution for a similar crime." He looked at the men when he said those words. Yugi opened his mouth to protest but suddenly, he felt their curiosity focused on him: curiosity in the form of leers, glares, glimpses, and spare glances—and he could not ponder a single argument that didn't sound childish.
Dartz continued, unaffected. "While I have nothing but faith in Timaeus' soldiers, I have no desire to risk your safety. When we arrive in Djanet, you will be returned to Psusennes where your safety will be assured. Until then, you will remain in Timaeus' care. That is not negotiable."
Yugi wanted to protest. It was on his lips and in his eyes but the words twisted in his throat, and instead of elegance, all he could manage was desperate silence and a growl of silent frustration.
"As for you, Timaeus," Dartz turned to his General and found his head bowed reluctantly like a child being patronized. "There is a reason I only trusted you with locating young Ujalah, and why I trust only you to see to his care," he said with a smile. "Your loyalty is unquestionable and your strength is unmatched. You are also," he paused and his smile widened. With a laugh, he said, "Chivalrous to an absolute fault."
Timaeus couldn't suppress a chuckle. Yugi's mouth dropped and he stared at the King in shock. Timaeus? The most ruthless of Atlantis' Dragon Knights? Who killed two of his own men, however wretched they might've been, without blinking an eye—and who, in the short time they'd known each other, had disarmed him twice, knocked him out once, and restrained him physically both times? This man was chivalrous?
"It makes you the perfect protector," Dartz summarized, "And is why I can only trust our guest's care to you. I know you will both keep him safe and keep your men in line, and ensure our guest does not pursue anything reckless while he recovers. How far that protection goes is completely up to you, but I will see your care, Ujalah, in no one else's hands but yours, Timaeus. This is not negotiable," Dartz addressed them both. His last words were spoken with sovereign severity and held no room for argument.
Timaeus bowed to the waist obediently. A protest formed on Yugi's lips, but wisely, he said nothing.
"We will arrive in Djanet in two days' time," Dartz concluded and turned to retreat back to his cabin. "Now I suggest you return to your quarters, Yugi—you've had quite a day."
"Wait, Your Highness," Yugi called politely. "Where will I be staying?"
Dartz turned over his shoulder with a bemused smile. "I believe I made myself clear on that." There was a chuckle in his voice and he left with that. Yugi blinked, puzzled. He jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder and spun around.
Timaeus retracted his hand bemusedly. He looked at a confused Yugi. "You heard him, little one. Back to bed." He gestured with a finger towards the aftercastle.
The words sank in and Yugi's heart dropped. His face grew hot and his cheeks burned. "No," he said firmly, but too quickly for it to sound definitive. "No. No. No. No! I refuse!"
Timaeus rolled his eyes. "Don't be childish," he chided with the bored patience of waiting out a child's tantrum.
It made Yugi's protest even more venomous. "Don't patronize me!"
Timaeus' brow furrowed over a frown. Yugi's untrusting glare expected betrayal and did not soften. "I will not stay in your room—let alone share your bed."
This time, both of Timaeus' brows arched high in surprise—then, in a brief moment of clarity, furrowed with vilified offense. "Don't be vulgar!" He shot forward in a deterrent retort, stung and infuriated by the insult. And judging from the bold brat's grin, Yugi took devilish pleasure in seeing him riled.
Stubborn devil. An impatient hand scrunched over his face, then settled on the bridge of his nose. His eyebrows furrowed in frustration. "You are in my care, and thus, under my protection," he said as patiently as possible. "As such, I am tasked with ensuring your safety, and if it eases your mind, that includes your…" he paused and took the hand away. With a glanced, he summed him up quickly. "… Virtue," he said flatly. "Second," he said brightly with the slit of a smile on his face. The corners of it curled when he saw Yugi's own devilish grin falter. "I am much more," the pause was on purpose, "Chivalrous with my lovers than that."
He watched Yugi's face blanch then suffuse with color. His smile curled with triumph.
The coquetry rolled off his tongue with ease of someone well-experienced in the art he boasted—and in that same contralto that had not that very morning seduced him with promises. Yugi choked on the breath he drew, shivering with an unwelcome emotion caught between delight and dread.
"Th-Th-That…" His hatred and fury was a stutter in his throat that he failed to free. "That will never happen," he spat, and his hands balled to fists at his sides. The cloak fell open, exposing the secret it concealed.
Timaeus was about to argue that the slip had been a joke, but he sensed the ears of the crew prickling at the argument, and their eyes following to inappropriate places. Quickly, he shifted in front of his charge, snatched the tail of the cloak halfway and snapped it closed. It encased the smaller body without a hint of trouble, but the owner was far more reluctant.
"What are you do—" Yugi snatched at the cape, trying to pull away, but Timaeus evaded his hands and growled in a low hiss. "Stop that! Are you trying to expose yourself?"
Yugi stopped and blinked. "What?"
Timaeus looked at him, puzzled. Then for the uncounted time in the last hour, he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Of course," he said to himself. He caught Yugi staring at him curiously. Timaeus looked him over through the gaps of his fingers, trying desperately not to be obvious. Suddenly, Yugi felt exposed, but couldn't figure out why. He was dressed, wasn't he? He looked down to confirm it, the mantle still open. And his entire body suffused with color.
He was indeed clothed, but not in his shenti—that he just now remembered had been shredded. He was draped in a billowy-sleeved silken smooth sheath woven so light and thin, it was practically lucid, and so short, it barely covered this thighs. The worst, he realized: it was open in the back. The long sleeves covered his shoulders, but it tapered to a V, exposing the long white channel of his spine to his tailbone. It was alarming. Good Ra, the bandages covered more skin! Even more horrifying was that it was true: soft but strong, possibly cotton bandages wrapped around sore spots covering what he knew must've been bruises. One even patched his cheek and covered his upper left thigh. But they still covered more skin than that damn smock did!
His hands flew to the hems to pull it down, but all he managed were hesitant tugs—certain the gossamers would dissolve under his strength. Too heavy a hand and it might rip, completely leaving him naked. Naked and exposed. "To Ammut's belly and back!" he mumbled in a low, aggravated curse. At least his shenti had reached his knees.
He grabbed the cloak's tails and pulled it taut in a cocoon wrap, hoping to pin it in place somehow. But even with it, he felt naked and humiliated. Native to such a hot climate, nudity and bare skin was common practice in Kemet, but it was a completely different situation in such a foreign collection of fabrics, and surrounded by foreign eyes. Not even in a complete outfit, it felt like. And in the presence of Timaeus of Locri, no less. Yugi never felt so exposed in his life. At least Timaeus had been enough of a gentleman to surrender his cloak.
He'd heard snickers ahead of him and his embarrassment plundered into mortified horror. He nearly died on his feet, when he reluctantly looked up and found the entire ship staring at him. No, staring would've been kinder. Their looks were snickers and snorts with no effort of concealment, and bright with naughty secrets. On their lips were the exchanges of gossip and inappropriate bets. Spotlighted by countless eyes, only Yugi's pride—or rather what was left of it—kept him from fainting. It only grew worse when he realized just whose cloak he was wearing. Ra and Apophis, they probably thought him their Trierarch's wet and willing mistress, not a victim rescued from two of their own!
Yugi was about to hide his face in shame and hope he'd disappear, when an animalistic growl froze his feet in place. He hadn't seen Timaeus turn around, but Yugi noticed it now. Timaeus' face was a snarl of disgust, his fingers curled into fists of barely-restrained fury and his spine arched up and his head lowered like an enraged jungle beast ready to pounce at a single insult. This wasn't his captor who wore superiority like a richly embroidered mantle. Nor the soldier whose loyalty would let him lay down his life for his King. No, this was the Trierarch. Their Trierarch. Their General. And their General was angry.
"Stay here," he ordered, but gave Yugi neither time nor room to answer. He spun to the aftercastle and marched up the stairs with an aura of unquestioned authority. He drew his sword on the way up and slammed it down against the metal of the banister, and dragged it like he was sharpening it for battle. The blade itself was a curved, shinning thing like a fallen moon, and came down with the same promise of darkness and death. The collision of metal was a smooth biting shriek like a phantom crying. The sound was a warning that echoed like a dying scream and the men wisely silenced.
Timaeus pulled it back to his side when he reached the heart of the aft, but he did not sheathe the blade. Though his armor and cloak were absent, Timaeus looked no less intimidating without them. Worse, in Yugi's mind, it made him look more so. The silver under-armor clung to him like a second skin, molding muscles that were corded and strong, broad shoulders that accentuated a firm chest and robust hips that tapered to slender legs, long and powerful. He was like a sculpted god: beautiful, nearly ethereal, but terrifyingly powerful. The crown of his black and azure hair and circlet of silver bangs adorned him with a regality even the finest monarchy jewelry couldn't mimic. His jeweled eyes completed the image: one an emerald, ferocious and shining bright as danger, the other a sealed pearl with an angry red crack that only accentuated whatever emotion its twin had chosen. Like a Gorgon's eyes—secretive and shadowed.
The men were frozen under it. Their faces became those of blind obedience and life-giving loyalty, but it would earn them no compliment.
"Men." The deep, clear sound of his voice cut through the air, carrying like a gong over the screech of birds. "We have taken Amun-Ra in the name of Psusennes I. We have taken the High Priests and their interlopers into custody. And most of all, we have done so without spilling a drop of blood." Despite the elegance, it didn't sound like praise. He confirmed it wasn't. "But I cannot call our mission a success."
There was a deliberate pause. The soldiers' neutral masks faltered most in shock, but some in shame. "As I'm sure you have noticed, two of our comrades are no longer with us." He swept the gathering of his soldiers with a neutral gaze. Then his eyes slit. "They broke my word, by raising their hands in violence against my express command. But worse," he peered into the heart of his army. "They committed dishonor." His baritone, which was usually smooth and melodic, was dangerously low, rough-edged and razor-sharp with disgust. Even Yugi felt the words shiver down his spine.
"You remember well our Articles of Agreement. You know well your names signed in blood and the promise you agreed upon when you became my men. You know dishonor is the worst of all crimes and more importantly, you know its forms." There was no scolding in his voice. Not even fury, only disgust, and worse, disappointment. "So did they." He did not say their names. They didn't deserve the luxury. "And it shames me that I must repeat them. But an army is only as strong as its weakest lad, and you are an army and a crew. You are my army, and if one man falls to the sin of dishonor, then so do we all, and so I have failed and Atlantis must bear the shame. But in justice's name it is only he who, given the choice and chose the wrong action, bears the punishment. You know my honor and you know the price should you disobey it." He began to list them, drilling each word with vehemence.
"You know that if a man takes any treasure from a place we invade without permission, or if he conceals or fails to place such a treasure in the great fund, then he is to be expelled from the army and left to a deserted isle with only a jug of water, a loaf of bread, and a single subtle knife. If he can earn the Gods' forgiveness, he may return. If he does not, then he shall perish. You know that if a man shall be drunk on duty or indulge in such, then he shall receive the same fate. You know that if anyone should slay a man against my express command, then he shall receive the same fate. But you also know that if anyone should slay an innocent—be it man, woman, or child; be it farmer, soldier, or elder—then he is to be thrown into the sea or the desert with no food and no water and no blade, so that he may die slowly for the life he has stolen. And worst of all…" His pause was deliberate and piercing, and he let his glare linger several times on soldiers who withered beneath it. "If anyone should molest a woman, man, or child captive, be it on this ship or on land invaded against their will, or should he attempt it…" Another pause, and the silence that followed was more dreadful than a scream. "Then he shall receive no punishment worse than immediate and torturous death, for there is no forgiving the most appalling of acts. Your comrades knew. They courted death and were foolish to think I'd grant them mercy… and I dealt them their fate." His promise was raw and they knew what it meant.
Timaeus stepped back from the railing then—his gaze no less piercing. "We are The Eye of Timaeus. We are the Dragon Warriors of Atlantis. Remember your Honor men, for without Honor, there is only villainy."
Only then did he sheath his sword, and leave the aft. On his descent down, he added, "On to another matter, we have a guest amongst us, and I expect you all to treat him with the same level of respect you would show a guest in your home. Be aware: he is under my protection and should any of you seek to harm him, you will know the end of my blade before you can draw your sword." The casual air in which he'd said it made the promise all the more menacing. He didn't need to look at Yugi for them to know he was the "guest", but Yugi felt spotlighted by it, and at the same time, was grateful for the defense.
Still shivering from the intensity of the incident, Yugi hadn't realized Timaeus had stopped in front of him, and jumped back when he suddenly found him in his line of vision. Timaeus' eyes fell on Yugi's bandages and his expression was no longer hard but softened.
"Back to bed, little one. I'll have no more of it." The tone was gentle and Timaeus sent him off with a shove to the small of his back. The gesture could've almost been fraternal if the tone wasn't punctured with finality.
Timaeus barked the name of a soldier and he came without hesitation. "Send for the physician," he ordered. "Have her come to my room."
The soldier gasped. He was about to say the physician was still treating the captives, but when the piercing gaze of that single emerald eye fell on him, he silenced. "Go!"
The soldier turned on his heels and obeyed, and Yugi trembled as he was once more left alone with the Trierarch. Then a shrill screech in words he couldn't make out boomed over the chattering whine of ship-hands. They cleared a path for its owner, like vultures scared from carrion by a lion's roar.
To Yugi's surprise, the physician was a girl. Raised among Sekhmet's disease slayers where a woman's gentle hand and fierce devotion in the art of healing was not uncommon, Yugi was unsurprised by her gender. But those were women, and she looked more like a girl.
When she arrived, Yugi saw that she was a girl. With a round face, a button nose, and a spray of freckles across her milky pink cheeks, prettier than the chalky tans of the men or his and Timaeus' olive skin. Her eyes were a conundrum: childishly large, but hard and green. Golden hair, sun-bleached yellow, cascaded in a singular bound down her back and over the smooth globe of her bosom, perfectly proportioned to her small body. Nothing girlish there. She looked younger than him and none of the hem-netjer Yugi met had ever been this young.
Or this fearless. Kemet women never feared men, especially not Sekhmet's, but this girl swaggered through the gathering with a bossy stomp in sheer defiance of her size. A lithe wisp of a thing, but her presence nearly rivaled Timaeus' with its intimidation. She carried flawless power and easy grace of a lioness, and stopped every few steps to bark dictations on better personal care to selected soldiers. These soldiers were nothing but flies she batted with her tail.
In Timaeus' presence, the lioness retracted her claws and smiled like a kitten waiting to be petted for catching a mouse. She cocked her head in a birdlike fashion, gazing past her master and at him. Yugi expected hard eyes, but instead, she released a tiny shriek and spun Yugi around and shoved him back inside. Over her shoulder, Yugi heard her shrieking. "What in Hades is he doing up?!" She was yelling at Timaeus. "I told you: bed rest if you expect bone bruises to heal by tomorrow!"
Timaeus strolled ahead of her, saying nothing. Yugi caught him rolling his eyes. He shoved the doors open and took up residence against the wall, arms crossed in superiority and one leg braced the wall behind him.
The Physician shoved Yugi into Timaeus' room, yanked the cloak over his head and with a shove, he tumbled back onto the bed, then proceeded to remove a green glass bottle and a cluster of bandages from a leather satchel tied around her waist. Unlike the rest of the crew, she wore a simple, strapless dress tied crisscross in the front with silver ribbons. She undid two of them with a single tug, and tied her hair into two messy coils.
"Sit up." She sat down and leaned over him. He did so, and she grabbed his chin and gazed scrutinizing into his eyes. Left, then right. She squeezed his chin in a silent order and he opened his mouth. She released him when her examination was complete, then smiled. "You're a tough boy," she praised, scooping up handfuls of bandages that pooled over her fingers. "Not many can withstand a beating from a single Dragon Warrior, especially Lord Timaeus—let alone two."
"Don't call me 'boy'," Yugi snapped, more offended than harsh. "I haven't been a boy since I was twelve."
"Really?" She grinned over her shoulder at the Trierarch, gathering bandages and the bottle in her lap. "And how old might you be?"
He heard the joke, but Yugi answered anyway. "Nineteen renpets."
The cork popped off the bottle without the physician's consent, filling the air with a mildewing smell like dried leeks. Even Timaeus' eyes bulged. Abandoning the wall, he strolled forward, his shock recovered. "If your age is true, then why aren't you married? I thought young men came of age younger than that in your country?"
"They do," Yugi shrugged his shoulders. "But they're supposed to learn a trade first, and I was trained with my mother, so the opportunity never presented itself." Timaeus sensed there was more to the story, but knew Yugi wouldn't elaborate. "Besides," Yugi chuckled at their surprise and jerked a thumb to the physician. "She looks younger than me."
"Rhebekka, if you don't mind," the physician girl corrected with a hearty laugh, readjusting the bottle with a smirk.
"That doesn't answer my question," Timaeus said once more, crossing his arms in superiority. "If you have not been a child that long, why was one not arranged for you?"
Again, Yugi shrugged. "It just never happened, and regardless, it doesn't matter now." There was an easy smile as he said it, but the way he knitted his brows told another story. One that demanded silence.
Instead of anger, however, Timaeus' eyes sparkled with a challenge: bold as air and bright as danger. "I'd like to hear that story."
Yugi growled and squeezed the bed silks between angry fingers.
"Don't let him rile you." She held a hand to her mouth like she was whispering a secret. "He likes to make sport of teasing." She giggled, knowing full well he could hear her. Timaeus rolled his eyes with a sigh of annoyance and braced himself against his desk, looking skyward.
"Then again," Rhebekka teased. "When I met him, he'd just become Trierarch and made it his personal mission to drive everyone in his service to the point of sheer misery. His daily goal was to make everyone sick before lunch. Oh," she clasped her palms to her cheeks in a dramatic V. "Those were dark days for me."
Yugi laughed. He liked this girl.
"Stop conspiring, Rhebekka," Timaeus snapped. "Check his bruises."
"Alright, alright," she conceded with a pout and grabbed Yugi's sleeve. "Give me your arm!" Yugi nearly shrieked when she yanked down the shoulder, fearing it would rip. He exhaled in relief when it didn't. She unwove it with speedy fingers like a reverse weaver, and ran a finger along the pale, dotted flesh. He hissed when she touched them. The worst were black and purple, but most were a sickly yellow and didn't cause him much pain.
Rhebekka smiled like a mad doctor, her experiment a success. "My balm's working beautifully!" she clapped her hands together with glee. Retrieving the bottle, she dotted the yellow one with tiny drops, but lathered the larger ones before reapplying fresh bandages, then started making quick work of the rest, tearing down the rest of his smock as he did so.
Yugi protested the quickness, but she swatted away his hands. He caught Timaeus staring and tried pulling up his sleeve with a glare, then yelped when Rhebekka pushed up the hem of his smock, revealing his smooth thigh. Timaeus arched a brow at the other's panicked look, and watched him pull on the hem of his smock with desperate fingers. His thighs snapped together, despite Rhebekka's complaint. His lip trembled, pulled back by nervous teeth, and when Yugi looked at him again, the glare was marred by an almost desperate plea.
Sighing in understanding, Timaeus pushed himself off the desk and spun to face the opposite wall. His eyes slid close. "My eyes are closed now," he said with an unhappy patience, but smiled at the silence. It meant the little one was blushing. "I've told you before, you are under my protection and it means no harm shall come to you."
Yugi snorted, then growled under his tongue. "Does that include protection from you?" He hadn't meant to say it out loud, but he'd heard it. Timaeus spun, but instead of anger, Yugi saw only… amusement? Apep's devils, that couldn't be good.
"That's enough, Rhebekka." He dismissed her with the wave of a hand. "I'll finish his bandages."
"Over my sarcophagus!" Yugi shot to his feet, and forced down a hiss when his sore limbs punished him with a rush of pain. He put up no resistance when Rhebekka shoved him down and forcefully pressed a hand to his chest, trapping him against the pillows. Her face was a warning growl as she gathered her things, but left the salve bottle and bandages on the bedside. But Yugi only glared at his captor.
To his fury, Timaeus only shook his head. Disappointed, maybe? The tiny smile hinted more at amusement, but his eyes sparkled bright with the hope of a challenge. He waited until Rhebekka left, then swooped in with slow, teasing steps, and it sickened Yugi how they made his heart pound.
"Be stubborn then," he challenged—his smile dangerously light with a chuckle. "But we both know I'll have no trouble holding you down. I'd prefer not to, but I will if I must."
"Oh no, you won't!" Rhebekka popped her head back in, one of her coils undone, the other in mid-removal, giving her a wild look. "I've already used up most of my salve on him because you couldn't stand the thought of his flesh being scarred, and I have to save the rest for the return home, unless Djanet's willing to share its rations with me?" Her whine traveled even as she pulled her head back.
"Leave, Rhebekka," Timaeus said in a flat order, and didn't move again until the door closed.
He took a seat on the bed and Yugi backed against the headboard, fingers tugging on the hem of his sheath. Fortunately, Rhebekka had replaced most of the bandages already, leaving only his opposite arm unbound. Compared to its twin, it was relatively clean save for the shoulder, littered with cuts and scrapes from being pulled and pushed over rough stone.
"Let me see it," Timaeus said patiently, gesturing with the curl of his hand, the bottle of Rhebekka's balm in the other. "If it'll ease your worries, I promise not to hurt you. I may be responsible for my men, but I am not them. And I gave my King my word I'd see to your care."
Yugi glared, but reluctantly surrendered his shoulder. He watched Timaeus' hands like Horus' hawk until he was done, and yanked his arm away and pulled up his sleeve. "I still don't trust you."
"Nor do I expect you to," Timaeus said almost in a yawn, it sounded so expectant. "But you have no need to worry about your safety or my men," he promised with an assuring smile that almost made Yugi feel hopeful.
"Because henceforth, you are confined to these chambers." And just like that, it died.
"What!?" Yugi shot up, fired.
"Until you are deemed fully healed, and after that, you shall accompany me wherever I go. That will be for your own safety," Timaeus continued as if Yugi hadn't reacted at all.
"I refuse," Yugi protested firmly. "Your King said I am a guest, and as a guest, I demand freedom."
"I'm aware of that, little one." Timaeus leaned back, balancing himself on one arm, his right leg crossed regally over the other. He seemed relaxed, almost lazy—his eyes half-lidded and entirely sure of himself.
Then he leaned forward, and with bright eyes, chuckled. "But I trust you like I trust a leech not to bite me. You've already fled once, and I have no guarantee you won't try to recklessly escape again."
"I thought I was being held captive!" he defended his actions. "What would you have me do? Lie still and do as I'm told on a ship of possible pirates and strangers?"
"Regardless of the reason," Timaeus said, his eyes brows knitted together over narrowed eyes. "You should never be willing to throw your life away." He'd said it like he'd contemplated it himself. It made Yugi curious, but just like that, the shadow was gone and he was the Trierarch once again.
"Now then…" He rose to his feet without the slightest uncertainty. "You will remain at my side until Djanet. You will not leave until Rhebekka clears you. As you are under my protection, you answer to no one but me. You fear no one but me, and only if you disobey me." He drew himself closer as he spoke, curling a forefinger under Yugi's chin and giving it a tilt with his thumb. "Which shall not be a problem unless you plan to play me false?"
Yugi wanted to slap the smirk off his face and he squeezed the sheets to keep from doing just that. He smiled like a cat—aloof and in control. All the crème was his and he knew it, and he flaunted it. But he was not some obedient toy. He would not give this man the pleasure of craving his attention, nor would he give it.
Instead of glaring, he smirked. His lotus eyes lit with lavender sparkles, igniting a challenge. "And if I don't?" he said, clear and confident. He would teach the cat to come when it's called.
Timaeus paused. His smirk didn't falter, but his thumb pressed tighter into his chin—the forefinger dragging it up with force. "You intrigue me, Yugi," he admitted with a purr. "I know not what your involvement in all this is or if you truly are only a simple sibling caught in the scuffle, but whatever your role, you intrigue me, and I'd hate to have to…" The pause was deliberate. "Punish you."
Yugi was about to ask what he meant when Timaeus suddenly released him. He fell back in shock and Timaeus spun towards the door. He'd already left by the time Yugi recovered enough to process the words. With a pounding heart, he remembered the dark promises he'd made to his men earlier that hour and his spine curled in a shiver. He remembered the merciless way he'd dispatched his wayward rapists. He remembered the way he'd drawn his sword both times; of the viscous, metallic shriek—a warning and a promise. Both dark and final.
Yugi gulped, but his throat was dry with horror as he realized that that was Timaeus' idea of punishment.
X x X
Grammar Knight's Note/s:
Apophis – another name for Apep, the Egyptian god of chaos and enemy of Ra, according to Chapter 3's notes.
Renpet – the Egyptian word for 'year', meaning that Yugi is 19 years old.
Horus – Egyptian god of war and hunting
X x X
How awesome was Timaeus' speech to his men? God I love writing him in those scenes! but I hope to show some other sides of him soon too ;) Timaeus speech was very loosely based on the articles of agreement in Captain Blood (the Errol Flyn film cool movie) specifically the tough but fairness of the trials and rules, and especially like his one about molesting woman since i could so see Timaeus doing that, but I made Timaeus' punishments a lot harsher for obvious reasons.
And as i promises a familiar face joins the cast ;) I hope you all like Rebecca ;) or rather Rhebekka (Aquagirl suggested I change the spelling since I couldn't think of any other name to give her that fit the time period and I didn't wanna change it) Originally i wanted to go with Ryou for the Physician but I wanted to be more original. Val suggested either Leon or Rebecca so I went with Rebecca cause given this is a ship full of sailors and soldiers I wanted someone tough enough to handle them and keep them on their toes so i went with her!
I gotta say i LOVED writing Rebecca! Boy have I come a long way since i wrote her in Dragon rose huh? But I gotta say after seeing her in Game Prix she really rubbed off on her and I love writing her! She's tough and doesn't take ship from anyone, she's intelligent and she's exactly who Timaeus needs to keep order: A physican does more than just treat the wounds...as you'll see soon ;)
plus let's face it Yugi needs someone to talk too, while he tries to keep Timaeus at bay ;)
I'm surprised this hasn't gotten as much reviews but I'm thrilled about the level of favorites and followers its gotten! I can't wait to see your responses for this one ;)
Next Time: Yugi adjusts to life on the ship—and being under Timaeus' "care": including dealing with a new "gift" and the man's rather forward advances.