I am very sorry that this is three weeks late. I know, I should be more reliable and on time but I have some very good reasons for being late. See the bottom for more info on that.
However, I hope you enjoy that although a I swear the universe wants me to break all my promises so I can't say whether this will be updated next week (again, bottom if you want to know more).
Yugi couldn't believe what his eyes were showing him. Rising out of the desert sand was a city like no other. And he meant, literally, like no other. Walls created of mud-brick created a protective barrier against outsiders and it was only from here, their vantage point above the city, that you could see the true extent of what went on inside. The city was filled with small houses also made of mud-brick and cluttered together in small streets with one long causeway running up the centre, all the way to what could only be described as a palace in the centre. The palace was almost a city inside a city, with its own walls raised to keep the citizens out and a gate dominated by two huge statues of either gods or past pharaohs. They weren't close enough to tell. An avenue of sphinxes, just like the one at the Luxor Temple except intact, lined the main causeway for a hundred yards reaching towards the palace. Inside, Yugi could make out green spaces that stated there were gardens and perhaps even places for herbs to grow for the kitchens. Overall, the city was impressive and yet, there was still more stretching away in the distance. More green spaces, probably farms, lay along the river Nile and there was a small settlement set up on the river close to the city with ships clustered in a small bay, presumably a fishing village.
"Wow," Yugi murmured, amazed at what he was seeing. He felt Atemu smile as Seto appeared sat upon his own horse to stand beside them.
"It's not so wow inside, trust me. More like a cess pit," Kaiba muttered, staring down at the city with a kind of loathing. Yugi hadn't really taken note of what Kaiba was wearing since they had spent most of the trip at opposite ends of the campsite. Apparently he was skyping Mokuba to check that Kaiba Corporations hadn't gone bankrupt while he was away although how he managed to get any kind of signal all the way out here, Yugi would never know. He was dressed in blue and white robes, similar to Mahad with a white cloak. A golden ankh decorated his shoulders and chest and he wore some kind of blue headdress over his brown locks, probably to hide them from view. Yugi had seen how people reacted towards Kisara's blue hair and even Mana got the odd look for her choppy bangs. Both girls were sharing a camel now, further back in the train but they still managed to come and find himself and his brother at the end of the day. Yugi supposed that wouldn't be happening anymore.
The journey down from the cliff was even less enjoyable than the view however. It was simply a thin winding track that wound down the cliff with a sheer drop on one side and the cliff on the other. If a horse were to even spook, both horse and rider would be dead. The soldiers proceeded in single file and Hotep was stuck in front of Khamet's hooves, a place Yugi was sure that the leopard was not happy with. It took them half an hour to reach the bottom and Yugi was all out of courage to even begin thinking about the speech later. His mouth was suddenly dry and he wondered how Atemu dealt with this every day of their lives.
Another hour and they were approaching the outer walls of the city that seemed a lot higher in person. There to meet them was another contingent of soldiers and a man on horseback who was dressed in white robes, a white cloak and had black tattoos covering his head. Around his neck was a golden object that looked startlingly like a key. He bowed when he caught sight of Atemu and furrowed his brow when he saw Yugi, who was still trying to figure out how he had managed to stay on the horse without it bolting or falling out of the saddle.
"Eh… Pem mehra*…?" the man said, looking confused and Atemu held up a hand.
"Shada, this is my brother, Prince Yugi, returned home from Japan. Yugi, this is Shada a member of the Sacred Priesthood and wielder of the Millennium Key," Atemu said and Yugi was relieved that he hadn't tried the introductions in Wesret. He would never have been able to manage it. The man- Shada- did a double take before repeating his bow in Yugi's direction.
"Forgive me, Your Highness. I did not realise," he said quietly. Yugi blinked at the flawless Japanese, wondering whether or not this was a result of Atemu moving into the palace or just very good memory. There was a long silence and Yugi realised that the man was waiting for him to answer. Desperately, he cast about in his mind for something to say.
"Um… that's alright. This is all new to me too," Yugi said before mentally slapping himself. He was practically giving himself away as new the whole game. Shada blinked in shock for a moment, perhaps at being spoken to so bluntly, before he gave a small smile.
"You are welcome, Prince Yugi." The smile then disappeared and Shada returned his gaze to Atemu. "Your father has sent me with orders that you and Prince Yugi are to return to the palace within the sedan chairs. There have been some… incidents recently that have set the Priesthood on edge."
"What incidents?" Atemu asked sharply, his eyes narrowing. Hotep growled, causing the chestnut that Shada was riding to shy away, eyes rolling in its head. Shada's face went dark and he shook his head.
"Not here. Later," the man said, his eyes drifting over the soldiers as the sound of hoof-beats reverberated through the air. Mahad and Kaiba drew up next to Atemu, both sending Shada some kind of welcoming gesture. Shada returned it, nodding his head too. "Master Magician Mahad. Priest Seto," he said in greeting and Yugi had to grip Atemu's tunic tighter to ensure that he didn't make any kind of remark on 'Priest Seto'. Even so, he couldn't help the twitch of an eyebrow which Shada either didn't see or chose to ignore. Atemu himself was tense, clearly upset by this news, but didn't make any further arguments as he dismounted and then helped Yugi down. Behind Shada were six guards standing around something that Yugi could only call a curtained box. As they approached two guards pulled the curtains apart, revealing two seats within. Atemu simply walked inside and sat upon one and Yugi decided to follow his example. After all he was supposed to be setting some kind of image for himself as a prince even if it was to people he couldn't understand.
The moment he was seated, the curtains were dropped and it was as if the world had disappeared completely. There wasn't even a breeze within the box, making it hot and stuffy. Atemu was frowning, looking distinctly unhappy but Yugi could understand that. Riding was by far preferable to this without bad news that people wouldn't tell you (but it was also nice to know that he wasn't the only one to be left in the dark).
"I hate sedan chairs," Atemu muttered as the soldiers lifted it and Yugi was nearly thrown out of his seat. Atemu was gripping the arms of the chair to keep himself in place and Yugi readjusted himself so that he wouldn't get thrown out of the thing entirely. S they began to move Yugi found the swaying motion nauseating and silently agreed with Atemu. Sedan chairs were horrible modes of transport.
Joey had woken in what he could only describe as a dungeon. There were no windows and a single doorway with no door. Instead of being locked in a room he was locked within a metal cage. He was only given a cup of something to drink with every meal (it was a strange orange colour and tasted strongly of barley with a slight aftertaste of alcohol) which wasn't nearly enough since the place he was in seemed at least ten degrees higher than Japan in summer. None of the guards spoke English and so far he had been treated as if he were nothing more than a dog that hadn't done its work properly. He was fed and watered; a guard came and took the bucket he was given as a toilet away every day, returning it an hour later. There was nothing to do except count when they changed the candles and failing that, count the number of bricks of the room and bars to the cage. Day and night became the same and still no one came.
One day* (or it could have been night for all he knew) there seemed to be a depletion of guards (all of which were dressed like they had had a part in the beginning of The Mummy) and he finally received a visitor. Again, it was no one that he knew but at least this one could speak Japanese, if thickly accented. The man was tall and thin, tanned and with lank grey hair falling past his shoulders. One eye was brown, the eye was a replacement, and a great golden eye with the same strange eye engraving on it that had been on the pendant around Bakura's neck. He was dressed in a long plain robe, a hood hanging loose down his back and a pair of slippers on his feet.
"Good morning Joseph. I hope you are enjoying your stay with us," the man said, grinning through yellowing teeth. There was a glint in his eyes that Joey didn't like.
"It would be better if I knew where I was and why I am here," he spat, meeting the man's eyes and wishing he hadn't. That gleam was half-mad, half-hatred but altogether it just screamed evil.
"Ah, you must forgive the guards. They are excellent at what they do but not the brightest. That is why you have people like me in charge. You are in the dungeons, my own personal dungeons, in the palace at New Thebes. You are here to be tested." Another smirk, although this one reminded him rather creepily of Kaiba when he knew something other people didn't.
"Tested for what?"
"All in good time Joseph." Joey scowled and crossed his arms, glaring at the man's face but not daring to meet his eyes again. That was one experience he didn't wish to repeat.
"Who are you anyway?" Joey snapped, not wanting to admit that he was curious. After all he had travelled across half the world in seemingly an instant, been dragged through a wall by a Duel Monster and was now in prison awaiting some test he had no idea how he was supposed to take it. He got the feeling that things were going to get a whole lot worse. The man gave him a smile that was probably supposed to be friendly but just came off as evil too.
"How rude of me I never introduced myself. I am Master Akhnadin, head of the Sacred Priesthood, Wielder of the Millennium Eye and brother to the Pharaoh. I do believe you know my son. He runs some fantastical technological business in Japan." Well, that explains a lot Joey thought. No wonder Kaiba was insistent to the press that he didn't know who his real parents were if this was his father. What was his mother then, a sociopath if his father was a psychotic maniac? Or just really unlucky?
"I've heard of him," Joey said vaguely, wishing the man would go away. Akhnadin's eyebrow twitched and he gave another smirk.
"Don't worry Joseph; I'm kinder than most jailors. If you pass my test you walk free of this dungeon, free to return home. If you don't however…" Akhnadin paused and grinned a grin that was almost on par with Bakura's. "If you don't you'll wish you were never born." With that he turned and left the room leaving Joey once again with nothing to do.
The hours passed but before he could be certain it had been a day there was the sound of tramping feet above him and people cheering. He wondered what they were cheering about and then it hit him. He was under the city of New Thebes. He was where Yugi had been heading, where Atemu had grown up since he and Yugi had been split apart at age six. If there was some kind of procession going on above him that must mean that Yugi and Atemu had reached the city or alternatively leaving again. But Akhnadin was up to something and he had practically shouted he was their uncle. Perhaps, through one of the guards maybe, he might be able to get a message to them to get him out of the hellhole. Either that or he would have to pray either Bakura (the good one- which was odd since Bakura in Joey's mind was far from good) or Mahad would stumble upon him by accident.
There was the soft sound of footsteps and Joey turned to see the one person he was hoping would never appear in his life again. It was the evil Bakura, the one masquerading as Ryou. He had changed to match the dress code in the city and was now wearing a plain tunic made of some rough material fastened at the waist with a rope. He was barefoot and mud caked the bottom of his feet. But his eyes were still the same maniacal evil that they had been in that shadowy place although more sadistic evil than crazy evil (he much preferred this part of him. The other side was heart-stopping terrifying in a way that wasn't at all fun).
"Hello again, Joey. Are you enjoying my Paladin's accommodation?" Joey scuttled to the furthest edge away from Bakura, hoping against hope that he wouldn't be subdued to the same torture as last time. Watching your best friend's twin scream until they died was not an experience he wished to repeat.
"What do you want?" Joey shouted, praying that he wouldn't come any closer. AS if to defy this, Bakura stalked into the room and gripped the bars, pressing his face between them and grinning sadistically.
"Oh but I just came to check that plan was in place. As soon as the Pharaoh and his little brother think that they are safe, the next phase begins. And that will be soon my friend. Very, very soon." Although he didn't speak loudly, the soft tones of Ryou's voice, deepened to the satisfaction of the creature possessing him, brought up the memories of that dark and shadowy place Joey had been dragged to before ending up here. He preferred the cell by far.
"You won't get away with anything! If they beat you before they can do it again!" Bakura threw back his head and laughed.
"Ha! Those two don't even begin to realise the true power they have together! How naïve humanity is to think that the same thing can happen twice! Hahaha!" Bakura shook his head, wiping supposed tears from his eyes. "Oh, the Pharaoh and his brother may have been born again and my past minion the Thief King been given a second chance but already the fates are falling out of your favour. I secured Akhnadin years before his precious Seto was born. I had poor little Seto Kaiba sent away to Japan as an orphan, had that weak-minded fool Gozeboro adopt him only to turn him into the machine he is now. He would do anything for his brother just as you are little Heba's weak link. And no one expected the Thief King to befriend his once enemy, the Pharaoh." Another smirk. "So you see, you have little hope already. I have all the strings including little Ryou. Did you know that Akhefia would do anything for his baby brother? Leave him alone with his adoptive family, torture himself by agreeing to a meeting where his clueless brother is, perhaps even decide to host a powerful dark entity to save little Ryou's soul? I had five thousand years to think how to end the world and now, I will see this world burn the way it should have done five thousand years ago." With that, Bakura whirled away, still chuckling to himself under his breath, and disappeared into the shadows thrown by the brazier on the wall. Joey collapsed on the floor and wondered how on earth they were going to survive a battle with a creature from hell.
By the time Yugi was allowed down from the sedan chair he had almost forgotten that he still had a speech to give to the Court and a balcony to stand upon in front of crowds of people. However, the moment he stepped out, the reality and gravity of this moment finally dawned on him. Stretched before him was an open doorway and beyond that would be his father, the Court and the Sacred Priesthood, who were guardians of the city and the Temples. At least, that was what he had been told by Atemu although he got the feeling that something had been left out again.
Atemu put one hand on his shoulder and Yugi turned to see his brother giving him an encouraging smile.
"You'll be fine," he murmured, low enough that the few guards and what Yugi supposed were the servants wouldn't hear. Hotep had curled around Atemu's feet again and seemed much more content at snapping at anyone who came near them.
"I hope your right," Yugi muttered back before taking a deep breath and walking beside his brother for once down the long, surprisingly dark, entry way. He tried reciting the words in his head but nerves had them all jumbled up and Yugi worried that he wouldn't be able to remember the words correctly, or that he would say them at an inappropriate time. The Court sounded merciless, of those not in the king's favour, and many of them vying to claim the throne for themselves. It didn't sound like a great place to grow up and once again Yugi felt guilty he had ever thought Atemu got the better end of the deal no matter how much he was hiding from Yugi.
They emerged into a room that could have fit the entire game store within it. The floor, walls and ceiling were covered in gold leave with two large eyes painted upon the walls. Yugi knew that one was supposed to be the Eye of Horus, cut out in the battle between Horus and Set over the murder of Osiris. He couldn't remember what the other eye represented; only that it looked impressive here. A golden throne was sat on a raised dais at the other end of the hall in which their father sat and crowded around the base were the members of the Sacred Priesthood. He could see Ishizu (who was known as Isis here but Yugi couldn't remember the reason why), Mahad and Seto who had somehow managed to get there ahead of them with Shada, a man Yugi didn't recognise or remember the name of and a man in a long white robe and a golden eye who could only be his Uncle Akhnadin. He even fit the look of a typical bad guy although he appeared to be trying extra hard to look welcoming. In front of them stood an aged man who bared a startling resemblance to Grandpa and lining the way to the throne, committing some kind of proskynesis**, were guards and more servants. He took a quick peek at Atemu, who had dropped his blank mask back upon his face, his eyes set on the group of richly dressed men roaming the hall- the rest of the Court, only allowed to stand as they were in the presence of princes and not the king.
Yugi took another deep breath, attempting to keep his face neutral as all eyes turned to face him and walked with his brother towards their father. This part he knew he could do, he was sure of it. They reached the edge of the dais and knelt; heads bowed in respect to the king but did not need to show the same adoration as those below their station. Akhnankhamun said something that Yugi couldn't understand but knew was some kind of statement that his sons had returned home safely and that it was a joyous occasion Yugi had moved to Egypt from Japan from all the lessons beforehand. Atemu rose, Yugi only a breath behind him and internally cursed the small blunder. The Court had already probably noticed it. Atemu, facing their Father, returned his own part to their father, similar to what Yugi had to say but modified since this was a return for him rather than a complete move. And then it was Yugi's turn.
For a wild moment, Yugi thought he had forgotten it entirely, but then, almost out of nowhere, he found some semblance of calm, some part of his mind he had never known existed.
"I, son of the Great House, honoured of the Gods, Prince Yugi, have returned home to the city of New Thebes to take my place as Prince and protector of the lands." If Yugi had been able to show his emotions, his face would probably have been one of surprise. No stutter, no stumble, not even a hesitation. It was so completely different to how he usually managed speeches that he could only stand numbly through the rest of the meeting, unsure of what was going on around him. Even so, he didn't miss the look of triumph in Atemu's eyes and the pride within his father's. Perhaps the day was not so bad after all.
If Yugi had been doing any worse, Atemu might have been worried. But his brother had shown those ingrates of the Court that he was a true prince of Egypt and he couldn't be happier. Well, he could if there wasn't that stupid speech to give outside as of yet. Yugi had no idea how lucky he was. Currently his brother seemed to be in shock at how he had given his part of the farce and Atemu gave his arm a gentle, yet imperceptible to those around him, tug on his arm to show that it was time to move out to the balcony. Yugi turned his head and gave a small smile which Atemu couldn't help but return. He was proud of his brother and wouldn't change a thing.
Giving speeches to the population was nothing new for Atemu but every single time he would forget whatever pre-prepared speech had been written for him. How he managed this, no one could quite figure out since he was perfectly capable of reciting someone else's speech but when it came to his own, he had no idea. Most of his speeches were impromptu and done on the spot, a fact that he knew Father was not happy with. A true king remembered his lines and did not mess up at crucial moments. If only it were a Shadow Game. Atemu excelled at those and would gladly practise all day if it wasn't a risk to his health (supposedly) and that he had other things to do.
But of course, he had to give the speech and it had already left his head. He would either have to think of something fast or hope for the best.
"Good people of New Thebes we are here to celebrate the return of not just your Crown Prince but my second son, Prince Yugi!" Atemu vaguely wondered if the populace actually cared they now had two princes or if they were more concerned about the fact that today had been made a holiday and they were able to drink themselves stupid all night long. "He has finally returned to the land of his forefathers and fulfil his role of your Prince!" More cheering and Atemu had nothing good enough that would constitute as a worthy speech. For a moment he thought about Akhefia, still out in the desert either having his own party at the Thief Court or riding back. Somehow he also found himself thinking of Joey and the boy's dog-like loyalty to his brother. "Also returned is Prince Atem from his travel, to learn of other cultures and their connections to our way of life." Yes Father, because Japan is so like New Thebes. Good thing I still have vague memories of the place however deep they're buried! No matter the sarcasm in his head, now was the time to begin whatever rubbish had been laid out for him and Atemu still didn't know what to say. He could feel the eyes of the Court behind him, like vultures on prey.
"My travels took me to many places," in Domino, think you need something better! Again the image of Joey rose in his head, of Akhefia after the museum, of Yugi on the other side of the school fence. And in that instant, everything fell into place. "While I was there it became apparent to me that we were lacking something of vital importance to the changing world around us." Silence. Atemu was aware this was bordering on that fine line between what the people were given as truth and what the truth actually was. "I saw that we were missing true friends, allies that would allow us to become a better nation than some insignificant kingdom that the world does not care about. We are different, but in our differences we can find a strength the rest of the world can never find and fill in our flaws with the help and wisdom of future allies." This was what was met by cheering and nothing said about the outside world. Father gave him a raised eyebrow but Atemu knew that he was quietly proud that at least this speech meant something rather than the meaningless waffle that the scribes had come up with.
The day was made better by the fuming faces of the Court who were doing the barest minimum to appear courteous towards himself and his brother. There would be no issue that they could find with today.
* So again, these aren't actual words. They were basically a 'who is...?' in translation but they're gibberish, not real words, Arabic or Ancient Egyptian.
**If anyone has the proper word for this other than the Persian one, I would love to know. Those wondering what on earth this means, its the way of worship from the point of view of the Persians. Depending on the status of yourself and the person you meet you go through different stages on meeting varying from a simple kiss on the cheek if you were equals to full out kneeling on the floor and sending a kiss to the deity's feet. While they're not actually kissing the floor I used this word as it was the only one I could think of to describe what they were doing in the show.
So reasons as to why this is late. And seriously, they are huge.
1. The following week from the previous update was my last week of school. Well, normally that wouldn't present a problem apart from the fact all my spare time was taken up preparing stuff for the younger years and incoming Year 7's for next year. So zero time for writing between all the other stuff I do, including helping my mum with our horse who was lame.
2. The week before last I was on an archaeological dig. It lasted every day of the week and ended on the Sunday and I would have mentioned it in the previous chapter as a possible delay agent if it hadn't been so last minute. So for that week it took up all of my time so again, no writing time.
3. I finally managed to get some of this typed and was going to post it last week sometime,probably Saturday or something when quite possibly the worst thing happened. As I mentioned before myself and my mother were looking after our horse, who we have had for six years and was a massive part of my life being the first well-trained horse I was allowed to ride (and trust me, this horse had the personality of a human. She was the best) since she was injured. Last Tuesday was were trotting her up to see if she was any better before the vet came on Thursday and we thought, in our very unprofessional opinions, that she was getting better. Come Thursday however, several tests down (don't ask the entirety of this- it has been going on for ten months and would take far too long to explain) and on scan later it turned out she had damaged her ligaments so badly it had torn part of the bone in her front right leg away, meaning she was actually getting worse. Coupled with ten months lame, signs showing that she was depressed and the fact that she would be unable to cope with the treatment for this, my mother made the heartbreaking decision to have her put down. Suffice to say, I have spent the past few days crying my heart out and haven't felt like finishing this until now. Probably because I was so fed up of moping around and needed to do something to take my mind off how much I miss her. Call me sad- this horse was a large part of my life, we've known her since she was four years old, she was only thirteen when we had her put to sleep (prime of a horse's life) and it was so unexpected since she seemed to be doing so much better.
So there are my reasons as to why I haven't updated the past three weeks. If they're not good enough for you, tough. That's how it is.
So moving swiftly on, review answers:
Aqua girl 007: Thanks for your review, it was very encouraging. I was aware that marriage in Egypt was different to noble aspects that we typically think of today, although if Atemu had a sister, he would more likely marry her than Mana, mainly because he would be showing that he was a god on earth and all that. Again, I went with this route though as New Thebes in now a very small city, vastly different to the Egyptian Empire it is trying to preserve that it would need all the help it could get and diplomatically if you marry the daughter of a king from a foreign country (or Presidant/Prime Minister nowadays) that country is unlikely to attack you. I say unlikely, I know it has happened before. So the problem for them here is not so much class as that Mana is not the daughter of some great dignitary or ruler in some form from elsewhere to be considered as a wife to Atemu. Political marriages and all that. Does that help? I'm sorry if it doesn't but it wasn't very clear in the story either so I'm hoping to clear that up soon.
angiembabe: Thank you for commenting on the vision of Atem and Heba. I was hoping someone would and I'm glad you enjoyed it. Sorry to have left the cliffhanger so long with you all waiting desperately for a chapter that was slow in coming. But longer chapter than usual!
reincarnatedpharaoh: Don't worry no one vitally important to the sequel dies. Atemu, Yugi, Joey, Kaiba, Akhefia, Ryou etc are all needed for that. If anyone is going to die it will be Akhnadin and Zorc (as yet unnamed in this story) but since they won't be in the sequel (clearly Zorc won't since this story is the end of him) there demise is within these last few chapters. Otherwise I'm glad your enjoying this story so much and thanks for the great review!
Juliet28: Ohh the capital letters. Love it! Thanks for your review it really helped when I got stuck in writing the rest of this chapter.
Gracey88: Have you ever tried to repeat a phrase over and over and over? Eventually it gets so firmly stuck in your head it's very hard to forget (and works wonders for GCSE Speaking Assessments). It doesn't mean you have learnt the language quickly, it just means that you can parrot that one phrase or parts of it over ad over and over again. Ergo, this is how Yugi has 'learnt' to speak Wesret. He's listening and repeating the words and while he knows that translation of this single phrase, he doesn't actually know the language. Hope that answers your question.
Before I forget, I apologise for the lack of lines in the last chapter. FanFiction ate them all for some unfathomable reason.