Jgal: What can I say I don't own Yugi, the monsters, Joey, Tristan, Tea, Bekura….

Pegasus: Me?

Jgal: Eeek! What are you doing here!

Pegasus: I just came to see if you reconsidered my offer.

Jgal: What offer?

Pegasus: To cast me in your fic.
Jgal: Eh….let me get back to you on it.

Pegasus: Please Jgalgirl.

Jgal: Don't call me that!

Prince of Egypt
Out of the Frying Pan and Into the Sea

"So let me get this straight; you had the map the whole time and yet Dartz is still able to find potentials?" Joey asked while peaking at the fish over the campfire to see if they're done.

Since the disaster in the capital building the wizard, the three boys, the thief, and the governess ran out of the city borders and guard's sight in the cover of night. By sunrise they were finally safe by the river and taken camp. Imhotep and Bakura were resting under a palm tree. Yugi and Tristan were down by the water shores to catch any fish they could while Joey and Tea were cooking the fish.

"Yes. The pharaoh's hunters have a similar map but it's not as accurate as the original. I found it in a cave near the rocky dunes from where I lived before I came here to study law."

Joey: "Did you show your boyfriend this?"

Tea: "No. Not after all the damage he's done."

"Well I don't know how to tell you this but the government is filled with nothing but dirt bags and camel turds." Tristan said in an annoyed tone as he threw his spear into the water. He gabbed the spear down and yanked out a large fish. Yugi tried the same technique with a smaller stick but was nearly washed away by the current.

"Whoa! Easy there Yug!" Tristan said grabbing him by the color of his shirt and pulled him out of the water. "Don't want yeh to drown."

Once everyone had their fill they stayed by the fire to rethink their plans.

"Are you alright Imhotep? You seemed awfully sick yesterday." Yugi said look up to the Dark Magician sitting next to him.

The rouge wizard looked down at him and gave him a weak smile, "Your concern id touching but there's no need to worry."

"Let's take a look at this shall we." Joey then grabbed the bag that Tea brought from the palace and pulled out the map.

The boys gathered around to see what the map beheld. Carefully the blond haired teen unfolded the map. Inside, columns of old old writing lined the sides of the parchment. In the center was an image of the entire country. From the northern most tips out the Nile, to every colony since the first nomads arrived in Egypt.

Bakura: "Wow."

Yugi: "So that's how big the country is."

Tristan: "What does it say Joey?"

Joey scanned the writing and shifted it around to the sides and upside down. But he could get a single word of it, "I don't know how to tell you guys but I can't read a word of it."

"How's that!" Tristan demanded as he took the map from Joey's hands.

Tea screamed, "Careful! Don't rip it!"

"Allow me." Dark Magician said carefully taking the scroll. He examined the text and sighed heavily. "I was afraid on this."

Yugi: "What is it?"

Dark Magician: "It's a hybrid of Ancient Egyptian and Shadow Realm code."

All the humans gasped in surprise.

Tea: "Shadow Realm!"

Bakura: "The realm of Shadows."

Joey: "So the legends ARE true!"

The mage nodded. "With this spell protecting the maps valuable information we cannot begin our search. Not unless we had the Hawk's Eye."

Everyone just starred at him confused.

"Hawk's Eye?" Yugi finally asked inquisedly.

Dark Magician: "Yes the charm that originally sealed the sacred map."

"A charm!" Joey screamed jumping up to his feet, "You're saying now we have to find a charm in order to read the map!"

Imhotep nodded, "Yes. This map has a secret magical encoding that can only be unveiled by the Eye of the Hawk's charm. Without it reading it will be impossible."

"What does it look like?" Tea asked hoping she hadn't seen it within the palace they had escaped from.

"I do not know. These years of exile and wondering the country has made my memory slip a little of the palace like and archives. During the revolution when the map was stolen the libraries in which it was stored was burned and the surviving manuscript and treasures were scattered across the country."

Bakura: "What happened to it?"

"It's probably been thrown away. But if it still exists, there's only one place to find it." Dark Magician said with a heavy heart and refolded the manuscript.

Joey: "Well what are we waiting for let's go!"

"No!" Imhotep said sharply, "We are not safe here. And neither are we in a position to go off on any uncertain ventures."

"But where will we go. Alister's troops are bound to find us if we stay here." Tea said readjusting her Nubian style wig.

"Our first objective is to get all of you to safety. It is never wise to travel in a large group."

Tristen: "Then where to now?"

Dark Magician: "East. To Timna. Past the mines of Serabit Khadim."

"Serabit Khadim!" Yugi gasped in surprise, "But didn't it fall to the Bedouins and Kushits years ago?"

Dark Magician: "Yes. It's isolated from the rest of Dartz reign and nearly impossible to reach with troops."

"And you want us to go there!" Tea exclaimed. "That's impossible!"

But they were going anyway. With Imhopet's magics and Bakura's skill of the streets they managed to acquire four more robes and cloaks to conceal their identity as they made their way back into the city and to the city docks.

Guards and soldiers surrounded the ingoing and outgoing ports as traders sold and purchased their goods. Lettuce, pottery and beer, for linen, ivory, and blocks of fine black granite stones.

"Oh wow!" Yugi exclaimed gazing out at the variety of goods and treasures he had never seen before in his life despite his experience trading at the family bazaar. "This is amazing!" he exclaimed breathing in the different aromas of imported incense.

"Yeah great now get back over here before you're left behind." Joey said harshly grabbing Yugi by the robe and readjusted the hood to conceal his face. "We've got to stay together in this one. With all these people around we can get lost way too easily."

"I'm sorry Joey."

"It's ok bro. We just need to hang tough for a while. Especially right now." With that Joey took Yugi by the hand and headed to the main port where the others were waiting.

Tristan was scratching his arms and chest like crazy, "Geez! Why do they have to make these things so itchy! It feels like there're about a hundred fleas living in here!"

"Hey! They're the best I could find in such short notice!" Bakura snapped back.

"Will you two behave yourselves!" Neverteri scolded walking toward them with a small papyrus scroll in her hands. She walked over to the Dark Magician and unrolled the scroll in front of him. "This is a list of all the ships that will be departing today."

Imhotep took the list and scanned for an opportunity, "No doubt that Dartz soldiers will inspect each ship before departure; especially after what happened last night."

Bakura: "So we we'll have to board a ship after the troops look around inside."

Tristan: "Yeah but which ones past the test? There're soldiers everywhere."

Joey then cocked his head toward a ship closest to the harbor's mouth. "It looks like that one is about to leave."

Tristan: "Then let's move it before we loose it."

Quickly and carefully all six of them headed toward the ship. It was headed toward Thinis. A city further upstream from Nekhen and one of the oldest cities in Egypt. Instead of heading toward the docking peer Imhotep led the children down below the docking bridge where a small boat was tied. Using a long pole he maneuvered the little ferry to them on the land. He then motioned them to the boat. "Ok we'll have to do this two at a time."

Reluctantly Yugi and Bakura climbed onto the ferry and Dark Magician cautiously rowed them to the trade ship. Once hidden under the peer He placed his hand on the curved hall of the ship. Soft blue light glowed around the wood touching his hand. A hole soon appeared shining into the ship's hold. The hold grew till it was about a two feet in diameter.

Two by two they boarded onto the ship through the passageway. Once everyone was inside Imhotep sealed the hole and opened a compartment inside the floorboards. Inside there was a chamber just large enough for all of them.

Yugi: "What's this?"

Dark Magician: "Smuggler's hold now get in."

"Make way for Force Captain Valentine!" A soldier's voice barked followed by the sound of one kicking one of the workers out the way..

Hearing the soldiers the rushed inside the chamber. First Tristan and Yugi, followed by Tea, Bakura, Joey, and Imhotep. The wizard tightly shut the trap door above and positioned himself closest to the door ready to attack.

A soldier in sharp gold plated armor and tiger skin robes stepped into the cargo barge. The curved decorated helmet hid the soldier's face from view giving it a terrifying look. Another soldier in black and red tint armor stepped beside the first and glared around the room.

"Come on let's get it over with." The more intimidating soldier sneered eyeing the frightened sailors and passengers.

"Don't get your loins in a bunch once those potentials are found we won't have to play customs anymore."

The first inspector kicked a barrel up front. The container flew to the other side of the room and exploded on impact on the wall.

The renegades fought not to scream in fright even though the barrel was directly above their heads. Joey held his brother close to himself and Bakura wrapped his arms around Tea tightly. Dark Magician reached his hand into his cloak ready to pull out his dagger at any moment.

"Come on let's go." The Force Captain ordered and stomped out. The other troops followed behind.

One of the hooded rouges slowly opened the trap door a crack to see.

"Get down!" Tea hissed pulling him back behind the barrels.

Joey: "Did you see that?"

"Yes and if you don't shut up they'll see us and it's curtains for us!" Tristen hushed jamming his hand over the blonde's mouth.

Soon enough the ship sailed off down the Nile river. The ship rocked back and forth to the current.

"Urg. How long it this trip going to last?" Neverteri asked while holding her stomach. Bakura gently wrapped his arms around her to comfort her.

"Seasick already princess? Well get used to it cause it's not going to me cushy tooshy from now on." Joey said sharply yet quietly so not to wake Yugi who had fallen asleep next to him.

"Hey you think my job was easy you bumbling blowhard!" she snapped back forgetting about the uneasiness of her stomach, "I wasn't some no brained calcubine! I was the Nomarch! A leader of the people! I fought with everything in my power to make them happier and their lives better!"

Joey: "Like what!"

Tea: "Who suggested establishing schools in low class areas not just near the wealthy or high class citizens?"

"Neverteri." Yugi yawned rubbing his eyes.

Joey: "Yugi?"

"She's right. It's because of her that the scribal school I went to was built and accessible to everyone. Even Chancellor Kaiba agreed with her idea." The smaller boy then looked away from everyone who was starring at him in amazement. "I eh, heard about it during my rounds with Grandpa."

Suddenly a knick came down onto the trap door. "Alright come on out of there."

Tristan: "Great thanks a lot you two!"

Imhotep jumped to his feet a stood only a little off from directly underneath, dagger ready in hand.

Slowly the handle of the trap door became loose and opened. The others hurried to the farthest corner and clutched onto each other. There was nowhere to go left besides into the river where the crocodiles and hippopotamuses were waiting. Bakura drew out his own dagger and Joey brought out his scythe from the palace. They moved in front of the others and were about to join the Dark Magician in what would be a battle to the death

A tall, muscular man in a greenish brown cloak jumped down into the chamber with a long sword strapped into his belt. "Trespassers are not allowed down here." The guard said holding onto the frame of the exit with one hand and his sword with the other.

Dark Magician gave a crooked grin under his hood, "And what will you do? Throw us overboard?"

"If need be." The soldier smiled back and slid his sword out of its sheath.

The mage then charged toward the guard. They jumped up and disappeared through the trap door.

"What the-!" Joey and Bakura exclaimed. Loud clashes of steel echoed from the main cargo hold.

"Sounds like our friend is in trouble." Tristan said leaning toward the exit to see what was happening.

Yugi then sprung out to the trap door and climbed up the ladder.

Joey: "Yugi no!"

Yugi peered through to see Imhotep and the guard striking blades and dodging blows between large barrels of cargo and bails of grain. Dark Magician leaped onto a barrel. The guard jabbed his sword at him but the wizard jumped over his head at the last second. He landed just behind the swordsman, spun around and clutched his arm around the soldier's neck, "You're getting slow you know."

The guard grinned, "No," with that he grabbed him by the cloak's shoulders and flipped him over his head. "you're just a little too confident."

Yugi look on in horror, "No!"

Imhotep grunted as he fell into a busted up bail of straw. He felt the tip of the sword on his throat. He looked to see his assailant throw off his hood revealing somewhat long blue hair, hazel eyes, and two thin scars on the side of the face.

"It's been a while, Imhotep." The guard said this time with a more gentle smile.

"Almost too long."

Unexpectedly Yugi ran between the two knocking the sword away from the mage with his arm cutting it slightly, "Stay away from him! I'll do anything you want just don't harm him or my friends!"

"Yugi get beck here!" Joey screamed sprinting out of the smuggler's hold and running toward him.

"It's alright. All of you." Imhotep said standing back on his feet, "He is a friend."

Cautiously the other climbed out of the secret compartment and stretched their legs after being cramped inside for several hours.

"Come on up to the deck. You must be exhausted from being stuck down there so long." The guard named Mayko, the Legendary Fisherman said herding the children up the stairs from the cargo hold.

"You bet." Tea said hurrying up the stairs with Bakura over her shoulder. The would he received from the earlier battle was not fully healed yet.

"So you two know each other?" Yugi and Joey asked as they walked behind the two men to the upper deck of the ship.

Legendary Fisherman: "Up until the rebellion we used to battle in the shadow games together. But long before then we grew up together in our own world."

As everyone was resting or helping the sailors Mayko signaled Imhotep into the captain's cabin, "Still looking for the prince?"

Dark Magician: "Yes, but it's strange. Before last night the targets have always been male. This time they've even attacked their own Nomarch. A woman."

Mayko looked out the window and held his head, "I was afraid of this. There weren't any records of the royal child's birth when it came to the gender of the child. All these years they only hunted the males because the child they found during the rebellion was male."

"That does explain things a bit." Imhotep pondered looking out the window to the passing land across the Nile.

Legendary Fisherman: "This doesn't make our search any easier."

Dark Magician: "On the contrary. The sacred map has been discovered."

Mayko suddenly froze in his place. His eyes widened further then they've ever been. He looked at his friend astonished and said in a rasped whisper, "You found it?"

Dark lifted off his hood and nodded, "I am certain that one of those children is the lost ruler of Egypt."

"How can you be so sure?" the swordsman said sitting down at his desk with his hand on his head.

The mage sat opposite of him and leaned back exhausted, "Of all the potentials, or of all humans, they're the bravest and most loyal beings I've ever come across."

"Bwhaa!"

"Ew!"

"Don't aim over here!"

Joey was leaning over the railing when a large wave lifted the ship and dived back down.

"Don't worry Joey it's okay. Just keep breathing." Yugi said holding him by the shoulders and rubbing circles on his back.

Joey forced his head up to look at the younger teen, "Thanks buddy. I don't do well on ships."

"You never even been on a ship." Tristan said confusedly.

"Really?" Joey thought for a moment and held his head groggily, "I guess my memory is coming back."

"His memory?" Tea asked after rebandaging the albino's wound.

Joey looked back to the rushing waters with the gleaming sun reflecting the setting sun into his eyes. "A long story. Forget it."

Night soon fell and the day crew and refuges gathered to the lower deck for the night. Yugi, Joey, Tristan, Bakura, and Tea decided to bunk back into the cargo hold.

However Joey couldn't sleep. He laid on the hay bail gazing up at the ceiling. After an hour or so he carefully got up without waking Yugi, and wondered around the lower deck.

Not long after he left the Dark Magician visited the chamber. He spotted all but one on them asleep on the open bails of straw with their oversized cloaks as blankets. His eyes were then focused on Yugi curled up into a ball with his cloak turned down off him. He reached over and placed the blanket back over him. He brushed some stray hairs from his face and quietly left the room.

The tall Egyptian boy stopped by the stables where rare Arabian stallions and camels were settling down for the night.

"Well well well, What do we have here?" He heard an obnoxious voice said behind him. Joey turned around to see another unbleached haired man nearly twice his size with a cocky smirk on his face.

"Keith? Hard to believe you're alive. Last I saw of you you were banished from Toshka for wrecking grandpa's store."

Keith: "Can't keep a good bandit down."

Joey glared at his adversary and was about to walk away when Keith pulled him back. "What are you doing on this cruse? I know you're not here to join the trade union it's just not your style. So tell me, you're not looking for the lost child are you?"

Joey froze in his place. Was his old rival one of the king's agents?

Back in the captain's cabin the Legendary Fisherman and the Dark Magician had opened a barrel of importing ale.

"To the royal child." Mayko said raising his cup in the air.

"Wherever he maybe. Or she." Imhotep replied taking only a small sip before holding his head in agony.

Just before Mayko was about to glug down his fill he noticed that something wasn't right with his friend, "What's wrong?"

Dark Magician: "What's what?"

Legendary Fisherman: "You look paler then usual."

Dark set his glass down on the desk rocking back and forth along the waves and massaged his temples, "Just fatigue. It comes and goes occasionally."

Legendary Fisherman: "I can only pray that it doesn't affect your performance on this mission. With the Dartz's forces getting more and more desperate we cannot afford any mishaps."

Suddenly a squire ran in petrified in fear, "Captain! Pirates! Pirates!"

Read and Review!

Oh yeah sorry this one doesn't have a song but I promise the next chapter will. An oh, I forgot to say in the last chappy that Tea's song 'The Love is Gone' came from Jim Henson's Muppet Christmas Charel. Silly yes but the song was touching.

Pegasus: So, can I get a part?

Jgal: We'll see.

Pegasus: On come on Jgalgirl.

Jgal: Call me that one more time and you'll be cast as a begger!