Thank you for these characters and their stories, Kazuki Takahashi. Requiescat in pace.

Chapter Thirteen

Dria

"Anytime you want to wake up would be lovely, princess."

I groaned as my mind floated back down to my body. I must have been out for quite a while. Soft, silk sheets covered my body and my head rested on a plush pillow. I opened my eyes, staring at the canopy above me. I was lying in a float bed, one shaped like the boats the Pharaoh and I used to take out on the Nile when we were avoiding lessons. I smiled; my friend was trying to make me feel at home. I wrapped my arm around the pillow behind me, stretching out my arms.

"Finally, the princess decided to grace us with her attention. Thank goodness. You were out for a long time."

"I was revisiting another time. One I miss more than I thought possible."

He sighed in irritation. He never liked to listen to me reminisce about the past. It irritated him that mortals were able to best him with the aid of one master magician.

"Now, tell me: why are you trying to find that one child? He is so irritating, not to mention he is completely disrespectful of you, especially of your body. Have you seen the way he looks at you?"

I laughed harder than I had in a few months. He was such a nosy, gossip girl. I knew he meant well, but to tell me that Seto would check me out whenever I wasn't paying attention was beyond funny. I already knew, but it was still amusing to hear someone else mention it. Hopefully, Seto would soon realize that my heart had been missing for centuries.

My friend continued to tell me all the trouble he had caused in the past few millennia. I almost wished I could have been a part of some of his pranks, but I was glad that instead, I made some lifelong friends during my journeys in the mortal realm.

"So, remind me again why you want to find that kid? Last time I checked, you had chained yourself to the other one, the one with the tri-colored hair. I can't remember his name," I smiled. He was not the only one who had forgotten the name in question.

"I was, am, and will be in love with the Pharaoh for as long as I live. Seto is just my best friend. He has kept me company these past few years while I've been waiting for the Pharaoh to return. I love Seto dearly, but only as a brother."

He smirked, "Only as a brother huh? He must think something different then."

I lightly smacked his arm as we laughed together. I finally got out of bed and started to get ready to leave. The sooner I found my friends, the better. I changed into a red outfit my friend had left me, with blue boots and golden accessories. It felt weird to have a bow and arrow, a set of weapons I hadn't carried in decades, slung across my back once more. I probably wouldn't need them but might as well be safe.

He sighed, realizing that I was going after my mortal friends regardless of the things he told me. He put together a sack of supplies: food, water, and who knew what else. I was surprised with his willingness to go along with my desires. He normally tried to divert my attention with other problems, like having me kidnapped or something, but this time he was being nice.

"I wish you luck. You'll be even more difficult to live with if you fail."

I glared at him. I wasn't that difficult to live with; I didn't even stay with him that often. He smiled and tapped my forehead before vanishing into the darkness. He couldn't come with me, nor did he really want to. This was mostly because we started to argue a lot when we spent long periods of time together. Hence the reason why we lived in different realms. A path appeared in front of me right after he left. My Pendant began to glow, and a faint light began to point me, I hoped, towards Seto.

As I jogged along the road, little shadows would appear from the darkness around me. They would jump into my arms or onto my back, giggling with the high-pitched voices of little kids. Some pulled on my hair, weaving my long ponytail into a braid. Then, they would jump down and run alongside me for a few moments before vanishing back into the darkness.

I passed by a little garden as I continued on my journey. A little gazebo stood in the middle of a pond, which was filled with koi fish. Chrysanthemums and tulips covered the beams of the gazebo. Lotus flowers were floating slowly in the water. I walked across the little bridge that my Pendant guided me to. I glided into the gazebo, finding a nice spot to sit and relax for a moment. I picked up a loose white lotus, bringing back one of my favorite memories.

"I knew I'd find you out here."

I turned my head away from the flowers to see the Prince leaning up against the stone pillar at the entrance of one of the many gardens. He was smiling widely at me, affection and happiness glowing in his eyes.

"Where else would I be this time of day? You know I won't work this late."

I turned back to my flowers, giggling as I saw Kuriboh carrying the small water pail I had made for him. Slifer was lazily sleeping on the grass, his tail flickering back and forth as butterflies circled him. Ra was joining me later, seeing as he had a few more hours until his job was done, and the giant was probably sleeping somewhere else.

The Prince laughed. I had become somewhat idle over the years; the use of Millennium Items had made my palace life easier because they took on a portion of the burden of defending the kingdom. But they also made it more difficult in a way I hadn't expected. Aknamkanon had fallen grievously ill a few months ago. He was still among the living, but he was so devastated by the truth concerning the creation of the Items, he probably would not be among us much longer.

I had begged the gods to punish me for everything, to spare Aknamkanon, Aknadin, and the Prince from any repercussions. None of them, not even Aknadin, deserved to be punished for the destruction of that village, especially since I was the one who had translated the spell and insisted on the creation of the Items. But so far, it seemed like they had ignored my request. Perhaps they had already cursed me, and my punishment was rapidly approaching as Aknamkanon's upcoming death weighed on my heart.

I shook my head at the Prince's laughter, turning my attention away from him and back to my flowers. He wrapped his arms around my waist and rested his head on my shoulder. I continued to ignore him and passed another water pail to Beta, who was floating around, trying to be helpful. I squealed in surprise when my lover quickly spun me and tossed me over his shoulder. I yelled for my brother to save me; he continued his nap instead.

The Prince carried me through the palace, ignoring all the looks and laughs from those we passed, until we reached the northern garden, one was always completely empty. It was amazing that the plants were surviving with little aid. He finally set me down, allowing me to escape through the vine covered columns. He tried to follow me, constantly reaching out to pull me back, but I would slip out of his grasp at the last second.

An unexpected shower of rain began to fall. I laughed in delight, running out to jump in the small puddles created by the rain. It had not rained here in years and not even I knew today would end the drought. I spun around in the puddles, dancing like a fool. Someone's hands stopped my spins, but a sudden kiss only amplified the giddiness in my heart. He picked me up and walked back towards the columns, resting my back against one. One of my legs was hitched up around his hip, pushing the hem of my dress dangerously high to avoid tearing, the other precariously balancing on the tip of my toe. One of his hands was curled around my back, holding most of my weight, and his other was gently holding my face. He pressed his lips to mine, shifting his body to press against every curve of mine.

"Is that necessary to do here? You both have tasks to complete still."

The Prince groaned, pulling away from me as he did so. Mana was standing at the entrance to the garden, her hands on her hips as she glared in irritation. I quickly readjusted my dress, blushing as I did so. The Prince began to scold Mana for interrupting us, when a sudden clamor distracted all three of us.

"Guards! Guards! Stop that slave! He's escaping to the gate in the south corridor."

I dashed past the other two, my trusty bow appearing in my hands, my quiver of never ending arrows appearing on my back. I heard the Prince shouting after me, only to hesitate when I jumped up onto my second brother's back. He took me high into the sky, only to come back down like a hawk at the southern gate. I set an arrow in my bow and prepared to jump off.

I landed directly in front of the escaping man with my bow ready if he should try to harm anyone nearby. He skidded to a stop, his expression growing frantic. He threw his only dagger at me, trying to frighten me into moving, but he missed his target and struck the post behind me. I only raised my eyebrow at his attempt as his body trembled with fear. He gave a short cry of frustration, before falling onto his knees before me like a suppliant.

"Please! Please let me go! I cannot endure another moment here! No matter what I do, I cannot perform any of the tasks given to me! I am simply not cut out for this life, but I cannot purchase my freedom!"

He wept mercilessly, clutching my ankles. My bow and arrows disappeared as I lifted the man to his feet. I wiped away his tears and made a white lotus flower spotted with blue appear in my hands.

"This came from my personal garden. Nowhere else in the kingdom will these be found, and everyone knows I alone grow them. If you truly wish to leave, this will grant you passage. But you must not remain here. You must leave this land and never return."

It was true. No one else knew how to grow my flowers. Anyone in the kingdom would know that I had given it to him, since my monsters guarded my garden with an iron fist against any unwelcome strangers. I held the flower out to him, waiting for him to decide. As I said, if he chose to leave, he had to leave the kingdom permanently. The flower wouldn't last forever and if he wanted freedom, he would have to take it while he could. Once the flower died, some of the soldiers would probably go after him, seeing as he was no longer under my protection.

"Get away from her!"

Mahad grabbed the man by the back of his shirt, throwing him back onto the ground. He then took a protective stance in front of me, making sure the slave couldn't reach me. I grumbled in protest, only to be ignored by Mahad. The Prince grabbed me from behind, putting himself in front of me as well.

I huffed, "I was just fine, thank you very much."

"No, no please! You must let me go!" The slave shrieked in anguish at his captivity.

I gently moved the Prince and Mahad out of my way and waved the guards off the man. I lowered myself to the ground and placed the flower in front of him, hoping he would take it. Instead, he pulled out another dagger and moved to strike me. I sadly closed my eyes as my magic blocked the attack and the nearest guard struck him in retaliation. I placed the flower in his dying hands. The Prince picked me up and quickly carried me back into my garden, leaving the others to remove the body. I felt absolutely horrible for the man.

"Dria? My love, are you well? You're not hurt, are you?"

I burst into tears, clutching at his tunic. He sat down on one of the stone benches hidden in the trees, pulling me into his lap.

"I had a chance to save him, and I failed. How can I expect myself to be able to save you if the time requires it?"

He made no reply at first; he just stroked my back, softly humming. After my tears had ceased, he spoke his thoughts.

"For one who knows the future, how can you not see it? You have saved me, Dria, many times over. Life now has a future more fulfilling than my coming succession of Father. My precious Dria. You save me every single day I am with you because you give me a life to look forward to with excitement and joy. I live for the days we are together, and I hope to never be parted from you."

I began to choke with laughter. That had to be the sweetest thing he had said to me in a while, but it reminded me of another person's words during a recent gathering. I was a little disgusted with myself, seeing as I was laughing at a time like this, but I couldn't help it.

"My Prince, do you realize what you just said?" He cocked his head at me, mulling over the words he had just spoken. I giggled as the confusion grew on his face. I knew he'd grimace in response to my revelation.

"You sounded just like Seto when he'd enjoyed too much wine."