Title: The Heir of Politics
Part: Excerpt
Pairing: Atem/Yami, mentions of Heba/Serenity
Warnings: Yaoi, Het, Hints of Mpreg, Violence, Abandonment, Family Issues
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh anime series, or the game or anything else that I might mention. I am making no money with this.
Author Notes: This is a story scene (Excerpt), but the story is not in the making.
The Heir of Politics
"Step forward, Yami."
Yami cradled Yugi nervously as he took a few steps forward to stand before the King's throne. On either side of Aknamkanon stood Atem and Heba. The former gave Yami a concerned look while his brother sported a dark glare.
The Pharaoh looked at his distant cousin's child silently as Shimon's words ran through his head. He glanced at his brother, Aknadin, who frowned. The king's brother still hesitated with this course of action, but the Pharaoh wanted to know. He had to be sure so he could move.
He knew how Atem's accident and the resulting damage may keep him from being king. He also knew that while Heba was the next viable heir, he would have to be insane to gift it to his son. Heba was not the right caliber, or even the right state of mind, to be king anymore. People may think their leader was blind, but Aknamkanon was anything but.
Yes, he often sided with Heba's foolishness, but it was for a good calculated reason. He needed people, the right people, to back Atem after he died. It would keep Heba from doing something foolish, and the knowledge that his child would do exactly that was painful. He often wondered if he should declare Seto his heir. It would certainly save them all trouble.
Until this little incident occurred.
He knew who sired the baby in Yami's arms, and despite Yami being a breeder, he was not the infant's mother. The Pharaoh also knew, thanks to his eyes and ears about the kingdom, how the child came to be in Yami's care.
Aknamkanon knew if he was careful, he could move things into his favor. True, it would cause problems later, but for now, he was sure, this was for the best.
"I did not expect you to return to the city." The Pharaoh began. "Especially after you left so abruptly."
"I'm sorry, Pharaoh. I-I had to leave immediately for somewhere safe." Yami was extremely hesitant to say those words. It would make him seem like a traitor.
However, Yami was relieved to see understanding looks from the king and many others in court. True, Yami was an extra able body, but he was also a breeder. Depending on the assaulting kingdom, anything would have happened to him, and death wasn't the only option.
"I am not angry, Yami. You were carrying. Many young mothers and breeders were sent out of the village." One of the few truths, Aknamkanon would say or lead to. "However, that is not why you are here today."
Seeing Yami's grip on Yugi tighten, and the way Atem's body went still, he continued. "I admit, that when you arrived here, I was greatly hesitant to allow your entrance. I have two possible heirs to my throne, and a third in waiting." Heba's warm smile wavered as his father spoke. "I did not want the child of a cousin trying to lay any sort of claim to a throne that was not theirs."
Mummers erupted around the Great Hall as people realized the king had just laid a familial claim over Yami. A breeder hadn't been attached to the royal family in years even if Yami was just a distant cousin. The peasant's status had just been raised.
Yami's eyes widened in shock as he had never told the king or Atem of his relation to them. Atem, thankfully, looked more amused and surprised than upset. Heba looked indifferent. Yami didn't care. He'd seen how Heba treated his brother and Serenity.
"However," Aknamkanon continued, "I knew of the danger you posed. And I knew why you left your former home behind." The Pharaoh decided not to give too much information. It displeased him and his twin that their young cousin's family was massacred. "What I did not expect were the consequences of allowing you to stay, however unknown you would be at the time. Do you know what consequences I mean?"
"I do not, Pharaoh."
The king shook his head. "That's where you are wrong. What is your child's name, Yami."
Yami was suddenly very fearful. "His name is Yugi, Pharaoh."
Aknamkanon smiled. "A son then." He glanced at Shimon and Aknadin. Neither man looked displeased at the knowledge. They hadn't known the child's sex, but a son would make their plans infinitely better. "How old is your son?"
Yami bounced the drowsy baby in his arms. He decided to stick with the truth. Hopefully it wouldn't backfire. "He's a month old, Pharaoh."
"When you journeyed out of the kingdom, you were carrying? How far along were you?"
"Yugi's pregnancy was seven months gone." It wasn't a lie.
"I see. So the child's sire knew about the baby?" Aknamkanon needed the answer to be truthful or things wouldn't work.
Yami nodded reluctantly after an aborted glance in Atem's direction. "He did."
"Did your lover ask you to leave?"
"Yes, Pharaoh." Atem had asked for Yami and Yugi's sake. He'd asked for poor Serenity as well. The girl had been through enough.
"And where is the sire now? Who is he?"
"I…" Yami bit his lip. He couldn't lie to the Pharaoh. Blood relative or not, knowingly lying to the king could get you executed.
The problem was that Heba's threat still stood. He would kill Yugi if Atem or Yami ever mentioned the child had any connection to him.
The Pharaoh's eyes narrowed. "I had assumed that the sire is of this kingdom."
"He is, Pharaoh."
"And yet, you hesitate to announce who he is? Has your lover abandoned you and the child?"
"No, Pharaoh." Yami whispered. His eyes fell to the floor. If he looked at Atem, he didn't know what would happen. But Yami continued to tell the truth. The Pharaoh had asked if Yami's lover had abandoned them. He hadn't said the sire.
"And yet, you remain reluctant. " Yami remained silent but felt his stomach fall when Aknamkanon stood. "Who is the sire?"
"Father," Atem began.
"Be silent, Atem." The king turned back to Yami. "Tell me this, Yami. Is the sire a soldier? A servant or peasant?" Yami shook his head, nearly taking a step away as the Pharaoh grew increasingly angry.
Atem spoke up again. He was becoming more and more uneasy with the situation, especially as Heba did nothing but smile. But he refused to leave Yami alone and helpless, not after everything he'd done for Atem. "Father, stop! What is so important-,"
"I said be silent!" Aknamkanon snapped, drawing a tense feeling in the hall. The angry voice startled Yugi out of his sleep, making the newborn whimper in displeasure.
Aknamkanon turned violently back to Yami after silencing his son with a dark glare. "Is he a soldier?"
The answer made Yami pause as he could say yes, but it wouldn't be accurate enough. "No, Pharaoh."
"Is this man of yours a noble?"
Yami shook his head. "No."
"A traitor then."
The room rippled with exclamations of shock at the accusation as people were beginning to wonder if this was why Yami had been brought forth. The sire of his child was a traitor.
Yami shook his head violently. He considered Heba many things, but neither he nor Atem were traitors. "No! No!"
"Father, that's enough!" Glaring hatefully at an amused Heba, Atem stormed down the dias to stand in front of Yami and Yugi. "Why are you interrogating him? You know Yami is no traitor nor would he be involved with one!"
"I wanted to know the truth!" Aknamkanon scowled at Atem. "And since the sire is too ashamed to tell me himself, I must hear it from my grandchild's carrier."
Silence blanketed the room as the Pharaoh and prince stared at each other. Aknamkanon folded his arms. "I am many things, Atem. I am not a fool. Tell me the truth. You and…" He looked over his son's shoulder at the nervous breeder.
Atem straightened his shoulders. He was not ashamed of Yami or what they had. "Yes."
"And yet, you stand before me denying your lover and son?"
Atem stilled while Yami quickly dropped his shocked eyes to the floor. They finally realized what the Pharaoh had been insinuating all along. That Atem was Yugi's father.
"Father, that's ridiculous." Heba stepped forward, suddenly concerned with his future. There was no way his father could actually believe that his bastard child was Atem's. "We all know Atem can father no children."
Atem's eyes flashed toward Heba. He actually took a step forward before Yami grabbed the back of his tunic, forcing him to stay still. The breeder had no idea what his actions would be taken for despite the obvious.
Oddly enough, the Pharaoh gave a vicious grin as he saw the movement and it unsettled everyone. "We shall see." The King held out his hands. "Give me the child, Yami."
Yami immediately took a step back, and Atem couldn't help but place his body in front of him and Yugi. "Father…"
Keeping his eyes on the quiet baby, the Pharaoh responded. "Any child born of our family line has a birthmark. Both you and your brother have them and I don't doubt that Yami does as well. However, the closer to the royal family, the child is, the darker the mark. I'm sure that Yami's is visible, but nowhere near as dark as you and your brother's."
Atem's jaw dropped. It was true. He'd seen the faint mark on Yami and it wasn't nearly as dark as Atem's. His own, though marked by the fire, was nearly as black as a tattoo. Heba bore the same mark, and Atem could see the realization strike his horrified brother.
"Give me the child, Yami."
Seeing that the Pharaoh meant no harm on Yugi, Yami reluctant stepped forward next to Atem and hesitantly gave the baby to the Pharaoh.
Aknamkanon gave the infant a warm smile. To think that he was a grandfather. And now, all he needed to do was declare it before the court. Heba could make no claim. He'd disowned the child and banished his mother. There was no claim on Yami either as Yami noticeably hated the man. Few would believe an infidelity claim and as Atem has said nothing to refute the claim, the Pharaoh was a rather happy man.
Gently cradling Yugi, the king opened the blankets around him and carefully lifted up Yugi's sleeping gown to his stomach. Finding the evidence he'd been looking for, Aknamkanon laughed joyously. Heba's foolish actions had just given his brother the throne.
The pharaoh turned and let the court see Yugi's prominent dark birthmark. He smiled at a deeply amused Aknadin who was smirking at Heba. "Congratulate me, brother. I am a grandfather!"
Completed Excerpt
August 16, 2013
