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

Chapter Fifty-Four

I followed Mokuba and the rest of the group up the elevator to the top of the Duel Tower, the place that Seto swore he would defeat both Yugi and Marik to become the top duelist in the world again. If this had been a "normal" tournament, I wouldn't have been as anxious as I currently was. I had complete faith that Yugi would defeat Seto once again; the duel that had me frightened was the one that pitted Joey against Marik. Even I couldn't predict what Marik would attempt by using the Shadows and the Millennium Rod.

The four men were already at the top by the time we arrived, and it was evident that some words had passed between them. I was almost positive that Seto had started the conversation with an insult about Joey's dueling skills, but the electricity in the air kept my attention elsewhere. The gods were agitated by the will of each duelist, as well as by their own desires to fight as they had in the past. I felt goosebumps form on my arms in response to the magical currents brewing in the air.

Joey was unwilling to discuss exactly what had been said, so instead of asking him, I touched his shoulder and smiled as he passed by. He didn't respond to me or even look my direction, but the tension fell away from his shoulders as he refocused his attention on his next opponent. I looked back towards the Pharaoh and slightly cocked my head, hoping he would understand my question. His eyes drifted between Seto and Marik for a few moments before they returned to me, confirming my thoughts. I inclined my head in response, acknowledging his answer. It wasn't lost on me that we had easily resumed our unspoken conversations without missing a beat.

As Roland started the duel, the platform in the center of the tower was lifted into the air. I clenched my fists in worry for my friend as the duel began. Marik would no doubt start a Shadow Game immediately, and once he did, not even I could help Joey escape it. More electricity began to encircle my fists, though of a different nature than what I felt earlier. This was my magic threatening to escape and run wild, a dangerous possibility for anyone nearby, brought on by my own fear.

The heat was beating down upon the desert with an unforgiveable rage. The Pharaoh's Army had traveled far to the south, preparing for yet another battle against the Nubians. The Pharaoh had attempted to secure peace with them on many occasions, but it was clear that someone was preventing that treaty from being signed. The tension caused by those delays had led us here, to the threshold of battle.

I was accompanying the Pharaoh and the Prince as the head of the magician's division and a military advisor, in addition to being the Crowned Princess. Although some still resented my position since I was only 15 summers, the other generals had accepted my placement amongst them. I never held their suspicion against them; I would have been upset with my king as well if he had elevated one as young as me into such a position. I had tried to persuade the Pharaoh of selecting someone more experienced, at least ostensibly. Nothing I said could change his mind; he said it was clear I had wisdom beyond my years, though he never divulged what caused him to believe it. So, in return, I worked hard to earn the trust of the generals and soldiers around me.

I stood beside the Prince, my staff in my left hand and a short sword on my opposite hip. The Pharaoh was delivering one last message to the soldiers before him, many of whom would likely never return home. I would do everything in my power to keep that number as low as possible. I clenched the staff in my hand more firmly as that thought crossed my mind, feeling a slight pulse through my fingers as a bit of magic escaped my control. The Prince glanced over at me, probably having sensed the stress in my mind, but said nothing. The troops cheered as the Pharaoh's speech ended and they quickly dispersed, beginning final preparations for battle.

I stood on the edge of the cliff overlooking the soon-to-be battlefield below. All the generals were in agreement of the overall strategy: the magical unit would remain above the field with the archers, while the chariots and foot soldiers would march until the spears, swords, and fists were in range of the enemies. I vehemently disagreed, however, with my physical position within this plan. The Prince, my husband, would be fighting on the field below, despite being the only heir to the throne, in mortal peril until the battle was complete. I had been ordered to stay behind the lines with the Pharaoh and other generals. This decision wasn't surprising; with few exceptions, the Pharaoh's immediate advisors didn't participate in the battle itself. Additionally, I was a woman, a being which many believed had no place in war. But the Prince shouldn't have been participating directly in the battle. I found this decision to be nothing short of madness, but I couldn't speak against his choice in front of the others.

I clenched my staff even more tightly, sparks of magic desperately begging to be granted freedom. I felt Aristokles tremble slightly beneath my grasp, but he kept any thoughts to himself; he understood why I was upset. Though I had locked away most of my foresight, the occasional vision still found its way across my vision. I had seen my husband's blood spilt many times, though none of those moments threatened my happiness as this did. This predicted something much worse, something I wasn't certain that I could bear. He was powerful, an extraordinarily talented warrior who commanded the respect of not only men, but monsters as well. But even so, he was only mortal, and his time was limited here. I was determined to extend that time as much as possible and to ward off anything that might stand in my way.

As I surveyed the hot sands below, a hand grasped my left elbow, the same arm with which I clung to my staff. My body flinched at the unexpected feeling, and a sudden rush of magic escaped through my left fingertips, scorching the earth below me. The hand released my elbow, and his face entered my field of view.

"Kadesh? What's bothering you?"

My husband's crimson eyes conveyed the depths of his concern; he had noticed the tension clinging to my body earlier. Without answering him, I released Aristokles and threw my arms around his shoulders, securing my body against him. Though confused, his arms responded in turn, crossing each other at my lower back. We stayed there for a few moments before I released him and stepped back. He placed his hand on my cheek and waited patiently for my response. But how could I tell him what I had foreseen? Would he believe me? Would he do anything about it?

I shook off the memory before I became so engrossed within it that I missed Joey's duel. Now more than ever, my full attention needed to be present just in case something went amiss. Both duelists began the duel quickly, both placing a monster and a face down card onto the field immediately. Marik, as expected, wasted no time summoning the shadows and beginning a Shadow Game. Joey stood bravely against the oncoming darkness, but it was hard to ignore the slight fear that flickered in his eyes. I couldn't blame him for feeling afraid; he'd seen what Marik had done to Mai, so it was a natural response.

"Can you hear those screams? They're the helpless cries of your friend, Mai."

I had to clench my jaw as I heard the sounds Marik described echo through the air. I could absolutely hear Mai begging for help as she tried to break through Marik's prison. Thankfully, no one else seemed to hear them as clearly as I had, so at least my friends were spared the pain of having to listen to Mai and yet not be able to help in any way. I tried my best to block out the sounds, focusing as much as possible on the duel.

"Joey and I had a conversation after Mai's duel with Marik. Joey's trying to rescue Mai out there."

I smiled slightly at Tea's revelation. Joey wasn't wrong in thinking that defeating Marik would rescue Mai. Those were the unwritten rules of a Shadow Game. Joey simply had to be prepared for the fight of his life if he wanted any chance of victory. I turned my attention towards the Pharaoh, who was engaged in conversation with Yugi.

There has to be another way!

Yugi, it's his fight. Just as Joey made a promise to Mai, we made a promise to Joey that we would stop protecting him. We must prove to Joey that we believe in him by letting him duel on his own.

We can't!

Without looking at either of them, I slipped into their conversation. Yugi, Joey can succeed. It will be difficult, and he will likely have to endure the same kind of torment that Mai did, but he can do it. We must give him our full support.

Though I could feel Yugi's fear for his close friend, I could only hope that my words might comfort and encourage him. Joey wasn't dueling Marik alone; we were all taking on this fight together. If he stayed focused on the duel and didn't allow Marik to bully him, I fully believed that Joey could win.

Once again, Marik altered the rules of the game. A thin pink thread appeared, connecting both duelists' monsters to their respective masters. My eyes widened as I recognized the revival of an old rule. Whenever a monster was destroyed, the wielder would physically feel the effects as well. Memories of the pain I personally experienced from such duels threatened to resurface, but I quickly shook them away. Alligator Sword was destroyed, and Joey immediately felt the shock.

"All right then. So, this duel's got a little twist. But it can work against you too."

Although I couldn't claim any credit for it, I felt a sense of pride as Joey stood tall against Marik. I wished I could trade places with him, or even just take the pain of his destroyed monsters away from him, but it wasn't my fight. I had to resist the same urge that Yugi felt to protect my friends from everything. It would do them little good in the long run, and from what I had seen in my needlessly long life, they would never learn how to stand against it with their own strength. I'd seen kingdoms fall and comrades suffer because of this. I clenched my fists more tightly as my magic tried to slip through my control. From his position as my jewelry, Aristokles sent a soothing wave across my body, attempting to restrain the wild magic. I took a deep breath, relaxing my muscles as much as possible.

Every move Marik made had at least one, if not multiple, traps waiting for Joey. Although I could appreciate the strategy of Marik's game, torturing Joey by using Plasma Eel made my stomach sick. Joey fought to remain standing and fight; his determination was inspiring even for me. I could only hope that he would end the duel quickly before the fire in his eyes faded with the rest of his strength. Having Helpoemer removing a random card every turn made matters even worse for Joey. If he continued to lose cards, he'd never be able to put together a plan to beat Marik.

"You could use a rest, little Joey."

"You could use a haircut. So, what's your point?"

A short giggle burst from my lips before I could stop it. At least Joey hadn't lost his humor, despite the pain he was going through. He threw me a grin before looking back down at his hand. It didn't seem likely that Joey had much that he could use, and if I had to bet, at least one of Marik's three facedown cards was a trap. I'd even believe it if someone said all three of them were traps. The rest of the group begged Joey to hold off on attacking for the same reason; part of me wondered, though, if the risk would be worth it. Joey couldn't sit back forever if he wanted to rescue Mai. He needed to attack.

"Wait Joey! Don't attack!"

"No, he should attack. He must force Marik to reveal his traps right away. Take him down, Joey."

My heart leapt in my chest at the Pharaoh's words. Sometimes, even I was surprised at how similar we were, despite having been born thousands of years apart. The first trap, Card of Last Will, wouldn't necessarily hurt Joey right away, but it did give Marik a fresh hand. Suddenly, I felt the wild magic slipping through my fingers again. Sneaking a glance at Marik, a chill ran down my spine at the victorious smirk I saw stretched across his face. Only one card would possibly make him that happy: the Winged Dragon of Ra. My eyes widened as I realized what card Marik's trap had brought into his hand. I clenched my hands once again, desperately trying to contain the electricity that the gods and my fear had influenced.

The duel was at 3700-2100, with Joey in the lead. Legendary Fiend was quite the problem though. With his Special Ability, he'd get stronger every turn, so Joey needed to destroy him quickly. However, the look on Joey's face told me that he hadn't drawn a monster strong enough.

"I activate the trap card Nightmare Wheel." I felt my muscles tense once again as Rocket Warrior was taken captive by Marik's trap. Images flashed across my eyes, all ones I would never wish for even my worst enemy to have experienced.

"Look, men! It's the mighty Prince and his demon of a wife. If we kill them both, then Egypt will fall. Attack with all your strength!"

The Prince had reluctantly agreed to allow me to stay by his side in the battle, knowing that it would bring me peace and prevent me from truly doing something foolish. I had sworn to move with him as if I were his shadow. Until this moment, everything had been going according to plan.

We were surrounded now by the enemy soldiers, separated from the rest of the Egyptian army. I knocked away arrows as they flew towards us, desperate to keep my husband safe, no matter the cost to me. A few struck various parts of my body; my shoulder, thigh, and hip bore the wounds from the sharp points. My husband had taken a few strikes from a sword, his cheek and shoulder now drenched in red. I had managed to stop the bleeding but hadn't had time to completely heal the wounds.

"Say farewell, Prince of Egypt!"

As I turned to create another shield, the image I had seen in my vision was now happening before my eyes. Fear took over my mind and I felt my limbs grow cold and numb. In my hand, Aristokles attempted to restrain the wild current once again, but it was too great for even him this time. As the strike move closer to my husband, I screamed and loosened my grip on my magic. The earth was scorched as the current ran through the sands, and soon an explosion discharged from the wild magic, sending the enemies into the air, hundreds of feet away from us. I heard the Prince call out to me in a frightened voice as he threw his body toward mine, his sword forgotten in the sand.

"Dria!"

When I opened my eyes again, I didn't feel the sand beneath me or the heat of the sun above. Though it took a few moments to focus, soon I was able to clearly see the linens and the cotton sheets of the medical tent. I could barely remember what had happened, but the burns across my body gave enough indication. Though my body felt impossibly heavy, I slowly sat up and gazed around the tent, trying to regain some sense of understanding. My mind screeched to a halt as I looked across the tent. My husband laid in a bed not far from mine, nearly every part of his upper body covered in bandages. I was at his side before I registered moving, tears falling uncontrollably from my eyes.

"Please, open your eyes. Please!"

I held the sides of my head as my mind returned to the present, pushing back as many tears as I could. Yugi appeared beside me and touched my shoulder, confusion and concern in his sweet eyes. Placing my hand over Yugi's, I took another deep breath to steady myself. The Pharaoh stole a glance toward me as well, though his focus was immediately taken back to the duel.

Joey's posture was the same as mine after Marik destroyed yet another monster, yet he still came back once again with even more determination than he'd already shown. He made a brilliant move that used Marik's series of trap cards against him. Though my head and heart still hurt from the recent memory, I pulled a smile on my face to celebrate with the rest of the group.

"No! Not Ginzo!"

"It's time to say goodbye to every trap card you have on the field!"

We all cheered in excitement as Marik's side of the field was left wide-open. Though it looked as if Joey was about to win, I knew better than to assume that the duel would end like that. The appearance of Lava Golem at the cost of Joey's monsters only confirmed my thoughts.

"What's wrong? I thought you'd be pleased to receive a monster with 3000 attack points, little Joey."

Marik wasn't wrong about the monster becoming Joey's, but it wasn't a gift I'd like to receive. Every turn, the creature would melt, and it would take some of Joey's Life Points along with it. But why would Marik give it to Joey? He had enough fire power to lead Joey to victory. Lava Golem turned towards me for a few moments and began to stretch his hand in my direction. Although he was a very sweet creature, I wasn't exactly in the mood for a lava hug.

"Get me outta here now!" Joey's sudden shout distracted Lava Golem, causing him to forget about me. I breathed a short sigh of relief, though it was likely only a matter of time before I found myself covered in searing hot lava.

"The moment you attack me, then it's all over for you."

"Then I guess I'll have to take my chances!"

Though it caused the others to question his sanity, I agreed with Joey's decision. He had no choice but to attack. It didn't work out with Marik's trap card, but I would have made the same move regardless. I nearly closed my eyes against the sight of Joey's pain when Marik duplicated his Plasma Eels. Mai's faint cries were bad enough, but now I had to also hear Joey's shouts of pain as he felt the attack on his monsters. I knew, however, that if I closed my eyes, my nightmare would return to me.

"I'm glad I'm not in your shoes because you're in for some hurtin thanks to my magic card, Graceful Dice."

I let loose a cry of joy at Joey's brilliant move. Marik scowled at my excitement, clearly irritated that I still refused to join his side. Lightning flashed across the sky as Joey's new monster made himself known, though it seemed as if the electricity curled around me to avoid striking me directly. I smiled at Gilford's appearance; I always appreciated his war cry to announce his arrival.

"Reveal the facedown card, Nightmare Mirror!" As Joey became the target of his own direct attack, my mind was forced back into my memory.