DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fanfiction produced for entertainment purposes only. Yu-Gi-Oh! and all related characters are the creations of Kazuki Takahashi.
AUTHOR'S NOTE 1: Before anyone asks, yes this is a Yu-Gi-Oh! story. The first few chapters are set somewhere a little different with no familiar names or faces, but familiar characters will appear later in the story.
AUTHOR'S NOTE 2: This is a companion story for my fic, 'The Shadow Library'. When they are finished, both stories will be complete in their own right though. You do not need to read one to enjoy the other. This story merely gives more meaning to certain things that happen in 'Library'.
Chapter 2
By Shadow's Mirror
"So the young pharaoh drew on the last of his strength and... Valen? Valen! Are you listening to me?"
Alexander sighed as he looked up from his book and noticed that his young pupil's attention had once again wandered away from his studies. The boy was staring out of the window in fascination. There were times, Alexander reflected, when he wondered if being the tutor to the Royal Prince of Cantoria was worth the headaches of dealing with a boy more fond of daydreaming than of learning. Then Valen turned his head and smiled at him, his grey eyes dancing with excitement, and Alexander knew that he would pay any price to be able to watch over the boy.
"Alexander! There are ever so many guards in the courtyard. I have never seen so many before, except when Father is inspecting them. Come and see!" Valen looked back out the window. "I wonder if there is something exciting happening."
His curiosity aroused by his charge's words, Alexander put his book aside and joined the boy at the window. As he looked down at the large number of guards milling around in the courtyard far below them, he felt the first vague stirrings of unease. Valen was right. It looked as if most of the guards were gathering in the small courtyard.
Valen looked up at his tutor. "Do you suppose it is a parade?"
Alexander considered. "It is possible. There is an ambassador from one of the neighbouring kingdoms currently visiting. Perhaps the king has ordered a display of his army's skill."
It would not be the first time King Roland had done so, but Alexander thought it was strange that he had heard no mention of it. Normally, such things were talked about in the kitchens and halls and Alexander normally learned of them as he went about his usual morning routine. When it came to gossip, although he was not precisely a servant, the servants were usually more than happy to overlook that fact and share their news with him.
Valen's eyes were bright although he was obviously trying very hard not to wriggle in excitement. "Do you think Father will send for me? May we go down and watch the guards? Father did say that I was supposed to take an interest in such things."
Alexander smiled wryly. "The King has also said that you are to study hard. Why is it that you remember what he says about the guards but conveniently forget what he says about your schooling?"
Valen smiled up at him, his sweet smile combining with his soft grey eyes and his shoulder length fall of light ash-brown hair to give him an air of innocence. "Because Father talks about the guards more."
Alexander did not doubt that for a moment. It was a well-known fact that King Roland's greatest love was for his army. Privately, Alexander thought that the king was a fool for loving a group of greedy and smug bullies so much more than his own son.
Valen had been squirming to try and see everything at once, but he suddenly went still, his head tilting slightly. Alexander could see the boy's face in the reflection in the window. It had taken on a puzzled look. "Alexander, what is that sound?" Valen's expression deepened into a frown. "I do not like it."
"Sound?" Alexander's unease grew with the words and he listened intently. It took him a few moments before he heard the faint rumbling that Valen was referring to. "Hmm... I do not know." As he listened though, the noise grew louder, as if a barrier between them and the source of the rumbling had been removed. His heart filled with dread and his unease became a queasy certainty in his belly as he realised what the sound was.
It was the sound of an angry mob storming the castle. A mob who had just breached the outer walls and was now working its way towards the inner sanctum, judging by how the sound was growing steadily louder.
Alexander put his hand on his young pupil's shoulder, for once ignoring the twinge of regret he felt when the boy immediately shrugged it off again. "Come. As a special treat, let us take our lesson elsewhere today." He tried to keep his voice as calm as possible, not wishing to scare the boy, but some of his fear crept into his voice despite that.
Valen frowned up at his tutor in confusion. "Alexander? What is it? Is something wrong?"
He thought about trying to smile but knew that it would end up as nothing more than a grimace. "No, that sound merely makes me uneasy. I believe it best that we leave here and seek somewhere more quiet." He tried to add a little humour to his tone. "Otherwise, I fear you will never be able to concentrate on your lessons today."
Grey eyes frowned up at him and as Valen's expression settled into an irritable pout, Alexander knew his attempt at humour had sadly failed. "Alexander... I am not a child. I am twelve years old. Father says that I am nearly a man and that I should be treated as such. If something is wrong, then I should know about it. I am the prince, after all." The last was said with more than a little pride.
Not for the first time, Alexander silently cursed the ignorant and thoughtless man who dared to consider himself a father to the bright and precocious child standing before him. His method of raising a child was, in Alexander's opinion, thoroughly appalling. It had been bad enough when he had ignored Valen for months at a time when he was younger, only noticing him long enough to deliver brutal lectures on how a prince must never show emotion or any other 'weakness' and how he must always be in control of his emotions. But the way he had begun 'instructing' Valen on his royal duties over the past year had left very little of the happy, kind and loving cherub the boy had once been. Now Valen was often a willful, smug and demanding boy who usually acted far older than his tender years.
"I believe that sound may indicate that the castle is being besieged," Alexander quietly admitted, knowing that the best way to deal with Valen when he was in one of his petulant moods was to do just as his father did and treat him as if he were older. He forced himself to ignore the fear that flared in the boy's widening eyes and continued to speak. "It would also explain why the army is gathering below. Although I have no doubt that the soldiers will succeed in protecting the castle, it is my duty to get you to a safer place in the meantime. Now come, we must go."
He moved to the door, relieved when Valen did not hesitate to follow him. Fortunately, the child's trust in his tutor was one of the few emotions his father had not yet forced him to abandon.
As they made their way down the narrow corridor towards the stairs, Alexander's mind raced. He knew he had to get Valen to somewhere safe, the question was where? If the mob was bold enough to storm the castle, then there was a good chance that they would be angry enough to stand up to the guards. Things could get very ugly and he had no wish for Valen to witness any of it.
The noise of the mob grew louder again and Alexander's heart began to pound more heavily in his chest as he realised that they had somehow managed to get within the castle itself. He frowned in worry. Where were the guards? Why had they not yet stopped the mob? What were they waiting for? At this rate, the mob would breach the innermost part of the castle in no time!
A small body pressed close to Alexander's side, drawing him out of his thoughts. He glanced down in surprise. It had been a long time since Valen had willingly accepted any sort of touch or comfort, thanks to his father's lectures on emotions and how royal princes should never show fear or doubt. It had been longer still since Valen had initiated such contact. That he should do so now was testimony to how frightened he was. Alexander gently patted the boy's shoulder, earning him a wary glance. But Valen did not move away. Instead, he pressed closer to his tutor's side.
"Come, Valen. We must hurry." He guided the boy to the stairs and started down them, listening with growing concern to the sound of what he was now certain was a very furious mob. They were now so near that he could make out the tone of their voices and the fury in it sent a wave of ice cold fear coursing through his body. Where, by all the Gods, was that dratted army?
By the time they reached the bottom of the stairs, the noise of the mob was far louder and nearer and Valen was trembling slightly in fear. Alexander patted his shoulder again as he paused a moment to assess the situation. "I believe we had best go to the library. You will be safe there." He started to cross the stone floor of the great hall, doing his best to remain outwardly calm and keep his pace to a moderate speed, to avoid scaring Valen even more.
Valen began to follow him, but paused as a new sound suddenly rose above the roar of the invading mob. The ring of steel against steel came again and he turned in the direction it came from. The doorway to the throne room was open and through it the boy caught a glimpse of a familiar figure.
"Father!"
Alexander turned at Valen's cry, his gaze following the boy's into the throne room. His eyes narrowed as he realised what they were seeing. Suddenly, the situation was cast in a far more serious light.
"Valen! Come! We must go!" Even as he spoke, his heart sank and then lurched up into his throat. He was only a few steps away from the young prince, but it might as well have been the entire length of the great hall. He tried to get to the boy, tried to catch hold of him, but he was too late.
In the moments it had taken Alexander to realise what was going on, Valen had already begun to run towards the throne room.
All Alexander could do was follow the boy and hope that he could catch up to him in time.