Angel: Hello my loyal reviewers and readers! n...n

Yami: Why is she so happy?

Y.Ang: (sighs) Presents and Christmas money has completed her collection of the first manga series of YuGiOh.

Angel: Aww! Yugi's digital pet is so kawaii!! n...n

Yami: (sweatdrops)

Angel: And Yami is so hot! (drools)

Yami: (MAJOR sweatdrop)

Crystal: (coughs loudly) Ahem. Angel, your story?

Angel: (too busy gushing over manga and other Christmas presents) :D

Y.Ang: (sighs) She now also owns the first three series of Futurama (she got the second one for Christmas)...

Angel: (skips around in delight) :D

Crystal: (also sweatdrops) Anyway, I'm amazed at how motivated she is all of a sudden. She only posted the other chapter yesterday, and is already starting to write the next chapter...(gets cut off by Yami putting his hand over her mouth)

Yami: Shhh, we're trying to be good muses for a change and encourage her...then the story will be finished and we can all go home.

Angel: (looks up) You're all going to leave me? (HUGE puppy-dog watery eyes)

Yami: (hastily backs away) Well, we do have better things to do than sit around here all day. You know, I happen to be needed to save the world right now...

Angel: (bursts into anime-style waterfall tears)

Y.Ang: (also backs away and sweatdrops) Just ignore her...anyway, as the authoress is currently too emotional to function (calmly steps away from puddle of water edging towards her), suppose I'd better do the author's notes. Yami can help me...(glares at said Pharaoh, who is currently perched on Angel's desk)

Yami: (sighs and glances down at his clipboard) Well, the only thing Angel really wanted to say was to ask if anyone has figured out why Rames is so happy that Crystal and I are getting married. She's left a few clues here and there throughout a few chapters, though the most obvious and helpful one was in the last chapter. So yeah, she just wants to hear your theories...if you have any...

Crystal: (also sitting on a desk to escape the steadily growing puddle of tears) Also, Angel would like to apologise for this chapter. She has absolutely no idea how Egyptians held weddings (nor any other ceremony as shown by earlier chapters), and thus her version of a wedding is mostly to be wrong.

Yami: (blinks at the still-crying authoress) Should we do something?

Y.Ang: (cleaning nails) She'll recover once she realises her precious comics and DVD's are in major danger of getting ruined by her tears.

Angel: (suddenly stops crying and leaps into action to save said presents)

Y.Ang: See? I told you so.

Yami and Crystal: (sweatdrop)

Crystal: Angel does not own YuGiOh. She owns various OC places and people. Enjoy the story everyone! (waves in a bored fashion)

Lonely Heart in Egypt

Chapter 21: The Wedding

Crystal stared at the huge golden doors, feeling herself shaking slightly. "Mai, I can't do this," she said in desperation, appealing to her maid-of-honour/bridesmaid.

Mai smiled and leaned over to pry the wedding wreath from her friend's fingers. "Yes you can Crystal; you just need to calm down. Look, just ignore all the people. You're getting married to Yami, the love of your life today, and that's all that matters. Now just calm down before you ruin your flowers," she said, handing the beautiful bouquet back to the somewhat calmer princess.

Joey, Captain of the Guard, grinned at the princess. "Relax, Crystal. You look lovely. Now, I must go inside and calm the Pharaoh down, so give me a few minutes before you start," he said with a smile before kissing her cheek. In the months since Yami's proposal – when Mai had come to live at the palace to help prepare for the wedding – Crystal had become good friends with the Captain of the Guard. She hadn't seen him much beforehand – he always seemed to be busy. However, he just seemed to pop up whenever Mai was around. She had developed an instant liking for the loyal and friendly young man; not to mention the fact that Mai was in love with him.

The young bride then turned around to face the ringbearers – Mokuba and Yugi. It had been almost a year since Yami's 18th birthday, where the couple had met for the first time, and the two 9-year-olds were squabbling over who got to walk on which side and carry which side of the cushion which had the rings on top. Crystal silenced them with her stare, then smiled at them both. "Stop arguing you two. We are going to start soon," she said before gesturing at Mai, who hugged her friend. "Good luck, hun," Mai said before turning towards the door and striding out as the guards opened it.

The entrance of the bridesmaid cued the beginning of the ceremony, and everyone turned around to watch as the young blonde woman moved down the carpeted aisle. She was dressed in an elegant lilac dress, and she carried a small bouquet of white and purple flowers.

Yami, at the other end of the hall, stopped fidgeting as Mai began to move up the aisle, but glanced at Joey and saw that he had not taken his eyes off her. Yami chuckled at that and then sighed, restlessly running his fingers through his hair again. Joey had spent the last few minutes assuring the nervous Pharaoh that everything would be fine, and that Crystal looked lovely in her wedding dress, but he still inexplicably felt nervous. He tugged absently at the cape of his outfit, which was different from his normal ceremonial attire. He was dressed in a white robe with a gold sash, a large golden torque around his neck, a flowing purple cape, and gold armbands. The white was for the wedding, and the purple and gold for royalty. Oddly enough, only the men usually wore purple – the traditional women's outfit, even if they were also royalty, was a white dress.

The proof of this was seen shortly, after Yugi and Mokuba had proceeded down the aisle carrying the rings. After they had arrived at Yami's side, the whole crowd turned expectantly towards the golden doors as they opened for the last time to reveal the bride.

Yami's breath caught in his throat as he finally laid eyes on his beloved Crystal. Her golden hair was pulled back from her face with a silver tiara, but still flowed easily down her back. She was dressed in a simple gown of white, with elegant embroidery on the top half, but the seeming simplicity of the dress only heightened her natural beauty. Her white veil spread out from the back of the tiara, and didn't hide her face. This wedding was a combination of Isirian and Egyptian traditions – and example of such being that in Isiria the bride's face was rarely hidden behind a veil, to show that she did not need to hide away her beauty. In Egypt, the bride normally wore a veil, because marriages were often arranged and thus the bride usually did not know the groom well, and would 'hide' herself from him.

But I digress. Crystal soon arrived at Yami's side, beaming as she turned to kiss her father's (who had been waiting near Yami, according to tradition) cheek. She then hugged her father, and turned to Yami, her soft smile making her radiantly pretty.

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Sometime later, the ceremony was winding down. The royal couple had finished their vows to each other, and had received the blessings of the gods. The High Priest overseeing the ceremony, appropriately the High Priest of Isis in Isiria, smiled at the pair. He had known the Princess since she was very small, as she had often visited his temple as a child, and had often engaged in philosophical debates with him as she grew older, and it delighted him to see her so happy. He then raised his voice for the nobles and other guests. "I now pronounce you husband and wife. Pharaoh, you may now kiss your bride," he said, smiling again as Yami did just that to the cheers of the guests.

Crystal blushed slightly as Yami turned her to face the crowd, and as the Priest declared the ceremony over, she grinned at Yami and the two quickly started to run down the aisle, trying to avoid as much of the grain that the guests were throwing at them for good luck as they could.

Another hour so later, the celebrations were in full swing. Crystal sat at Yami's feet, according to tradition, as each of the guests showed their tribute to the wedding – entertainment. Each guest was expected to provide at least some entertainment for afterwards – musicians, singers, dancers (which Crystal pretended to cover Yami's eyes for, to the amusement of the other women in the hall), and other such entertainment. (1) Sometimes nobles would get together and a group of nobles would sponsor a single performance. This was the case for this wedding, as so many nobles were in attendance that in order for the day to actually end before midnight, only a limited number of performances were allowed. Those guests that had not sponsored entertainment bought gifts instead. It was indeed an odd system, but one that had worked for several generations.

The royal couple were served by servants so that they would not have to leave their dais to get food and drink from the long tables set up in the room for that purpose, and thus insult the performers. Crystal was munching on a bunch of grapes during the last performance – a brilliant dramatic act. Dinner had already been served and eaten by this point, and the evening breeze cooled the hall. The wedding had occurred before noon (as it was believed to be unlucky if the wedding should end after noon) and thus the entertaining had gone on for the whole afternoon.

As the performance ended, Yami drained the last of his wine goblet, and nodded to the priest. The High Priest then stood. "Now comes the time for the royal couple to retire. Blessings be upon them both, and may they be happy together for the remainder of their days," he intoned in ritual, and Yami unexpectedly swept Crystal up into his arms to plant a soft kiss on her lips before turning to exit the room. As they left, the cheers of the guests followed them until Yami's harried looking advisors sort to restore order and sort out who was staying in what apartments in the palace, and so on and so forth.

As soon as the doors shut however, Crystal laughed. "Yami, I don't expect you to carry me all the way to your apartments," she said before gently kissing her husband again. A delighted smile crossed her face at the thought. 'Yami is my husband. He's mine now, forever.'

Yami found himself smiling at the radiantly pretty expression on his new wife's face, and his thoughts followed a similar pattern. 'Wife. Crystal is my wife at last.'

They looked at each other after several seconds of silence, and then both started laughing. Crystal then squirmed out of Yami's arms, and took off at a run towards his apartments, beaming. Yami grinned also as he followed her, though took care not to overtake until they arrived.

Once inside his rooms, the fun quality died, and a sort of solemnity descended across the room as the two looked at each other. They removed each other's jewellery without a word, and Crystal also untied Yami's cape. They remained in silence for a few moments longer, merely looking at each other. At last, Crystal broke the silence, reaching up to gently rest her hand on her beloved's cheek. "Yami, I love you," she said softly, kissing him gently as she said so. He smiled, capturing her hand in his own, and kissing her fingers before looking into her eyes. "I love you also, Crystal," he said before kissing her back. This time their kiss was longer, more passionate, and Yami gently pushed her back onto his bed as he trailed kisses along her neck. Tonight they were alone, and they both intended to savour the moment.

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A few months later, Crystal awoke as the sunlight warmed her face, and slowly opened her eyes. She smiled as she saw Yami, who she had been resting her head on. She thought he looked adorable when he was sleeping, and often told him so – to which he would grumpily deny being 'adorable' in any way. She gently moved her hand and head off her husband, and kissed him. "Yami, its time to wake up," she said softly, laughing as he groaned and rolled away from her. "No it isn't," he protested sleepily.

She suddenly smirked, and gently started tickling him. He started laughing. "Crystal, this is cruel," he protested as he tried to move away. But Crystal grinned and rolled over on top of him, effectively pinning up under her, and used one hand to pin both his hands above his head. She then smirked at him, and continued tickling him with her free hand. He laughed, and squirmed, trying desperately to escape. She eventually took pity on him, and stopped, leaning over so that they were practically nose-to-nose. "Are you awake now?" she asked teasingly.

Yami glared at her, cursing every god in existence that his wife was a morning person, and that he was not. "Yes dear," he replied sullenly, but any annoyance was quickly melted away as she kissed him. He smirked as he realised his hands were now left unattended, and sought his revenge. She shrieked with laughter as he tickled her back, and quickly rolled off him to try and escape. He grinned and followed her. She eventually yielded to the unavoidable. "Mercy, mercy!" she shrieked in-between her laughter. Yami smirked and let her go, though kissed her one last time before he rolled off her and got out of bed.

He half-expected her to throw something at him as she normally would when losing a 'fight', but feeling nothing, he turned around to find his wife curled back up beneath the sheets. His eyes widened at the unfairness. "Crystal!" he whined, unable to believe that she had woken him up, and then gone back to sleep herself.

She opened one eye to look up at him, looking rather innocent and cheeky. "I'm not the one that has to go to council with my advisors darling. So I can stay here and sleep," she said playfully, before closing her eye again.

Yami opened his mouth and was about to retort when a knock was heard on their door. "My lord Pharaoh, your advisors request that you be in the throne room in half an hour to conduct your daily morning meeting," a timid voice said on the other side. The Pharaoh sighed. "Alright, tell them I'll be there," he called back somewhat crossly before glaring at his wife, who didn't open her eyes and maintained her pose of innocence. His scowl disappeared at watching her – he could never stay angry with her for long.

After he had dressed, Yami returned to his wife's side. "Please come to council when you are ready dear," he said softly as he kissed her cheek. He left the room before Crystal opened her eyes. She stretched luxuriously, and then called for her personal maid. The young woman rushed into the room. "My lady?"

Crystal swung her legs around off the bed, and ran her fingers through her hair. "Could you please bring me a damp cloth?"

The maid complied, and returned from the couple's private bathroom a few moments later. "Is my lady feeling ill again this morning?" she asked sympathetically as Crystal placed the cloth to her forehead and lay down.

Crystal nodded. "Yes, but its not that bad. I just feel a little nauseous. It should pass quickly though. In the meantime, could you get one of my blue dresses out of the cupboard for me, and place it on the bed there? Thank you," she said as the maid bowed and did as she was asked. After the dress was in easy reach, the maid bowed again and left.

Crystal was left alone, lying back on her bed with the damp cloth to her forehead. "Thank goodness for morning council, else Yami would worry," she said to herself, chuckling as she remembered how flustered Yami had become when she'd caught a simple cold a few weeks after their wedding.

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Far away, Rames scowled at his second-in-command. "No, we are not giving up the fight you fool! We're merely postponing it! Get that into your head!" he snapped, slapping the fool across the face. The now red-faced and rather embarrassed officer muttered an apology and left the room. Rames scowled, and stood up as he began to pace. "Ok, so maybe leaving Isaac's court wasn't my brightest idea. But that fool was becoming too suspicious, and watching me too often. This way, far from him and his meddling ways, I can plan my attack. It will take some time, but I swear I'll ensure my victory! Especially now that I have the full facts, not just those lies the previous Pharaoh tried to trick me into believing. No-one will stop me this time...I'll make sure of it," he said with an evil chuckle.

"You two royals can have a few years peace to cause you to grow complacent, but then you won't know what will hit you. I will win, and I will take the crown," he said with a smirk.

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(1) This idea of entertainment being the wedding gift was adopted from the people of Janny Wurts/Raymond.E.Feist's Tsurani world. Often in that world, the various entertainments would last for a few days, with the married couple housed in different sleeping quarters until the last performance. But I changed to a limited number of performances + gifts to allow some variety and such.

Angel: Yay, another finished chapter :D Sorry it's short, but I'm trying to delay this story as long as possible...lol. And better to have shorter chapters every few weeks (let's hope I can keep that posting schedule up for a while) than longer chapters every 6 months or so, lol. Also, this story probably has about 3 more chapters to go.

Note: This chapter was only finished less than an hour ago, and I didn't want to go back over it and read it AGAIN (I've been re-reading the first section for the last few days, trying to get over writer's block, lol) so if you see any errors, please point them out to me. I'll likely look back over it later anyway, but if you guys spot major errors and things please tell me in case I miss it.

Please review! And feel free to message me with questions about any of my stories, theories about any of my stories, questions about me (but honestly, you don't want to talk about that, lol) or even if you just want to chat. I'd like to hear from you guys :D

C YA!! Angel