A Tomb-Keeper's Lot, Chapter 9

"Why should we believe you?"

Marik looked incredulously at his cousin, his voice dripping with contained anger as he answered "Excuse me?"

Paki continued to glare at him, and after a pause said "Why should we believe that you've actually found the Pharaoh? What proof do you have? I wouldn't be surprised if this was just some ploy to save you and your companions. You're pathetic."

Marik stared at the young man indignantly; he'd had just about all he could take of his ignorant cousin.

His fist clenched and he took a step forward, but his siblings still had their hands on him and gently held him back. Marik obediently stayed where he was, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath to calm himself down.

He couldn't let himself give in to Paki's taunting.

He was just wasting his time.

Marik opened his eyes to stare directly into his cousin's, and his voice was strong as he responded "Why am I even discussing this with you? You're not in charge here!"

"I should be." Paki seethed.

"But you are not." Fenuku said suddenly, letting go of his daughter as Sharifa stepped forward, putting a gentle arm around the girl. "I am. And I will speak for the Tomb-Keepers. Master Marik speaks the truth. All of you: search your hearts and you will know for yourselves."

The Tomb-Keeper's looked at their leader in surprise, and a few turned to each other, exchanging looks as they thought on his words.

Paki watched them incredulously, not liking the way they were starting to soften towards Marik and the others.

"I can't believe you're all listening to this nonsense! Have you already forgotten what he did? How he abandoned all of us? How can you possibly trust him?"

"Paki, just shut up!" Marik shouted, startling everyone around him and even surprising his own siblings, "You don't get it, do you? This isn't about me! And it's certainly not about you! It's about helping the Pharaoh: fulfilling the duties given to our family thousands of years ago."

"Heh, not about you? That's a lie. This entire situation is your fault, as I've already said." Paki sneered, his youthful face twisting into a malicious grin.

Marik cringed involuntarily, remembering how that same expression had once been mirrored on his own face.

"And before any of you try to come to his defense, let me tell you something that might change your mind." Paki said loudly, addressing the whole of the room, "When Master Marik ran away 6 years ago, it wasn't just for freedom; it wasn't because his father had, as we always thought, mysteriously died. No, I discovered what really happened…."

Marik froze. Did his cousin really know what had happened that day? His heart began to race, his palms sweating and body going clammy, and although he desperately wanted to stop Paki from continuing… he knew he couldn't. His family deserved to know the truth, no matter how painful it was.

With a twisted grin of victory, Paki swung his arm to point accusingly at Marik, and shouted the words Marik had been dreading, "You murdered your own father!"

There was a split-second of silence before the room erupted in gasps and sobs and cries of outrage.

Odion quickly placed himself in front of Marik, not wanting another attack like Paki's from the tumultuous crowd.

Marik stared at the ground, his face hard, masking the pain he felt as he listened once again to his family's anger.

The fragile disbelief in Fenuku's voice was almost more than he could take.

"Paki… how could you say such a thing? Marik, don't allow him to say such horrible things about you! … Marik? Nephew, why… why won't you say anything? Why won't you defend yourself?"

Marik couldn't even look at the man.

His hands fisted in Odion's jacket in front of him, and he pressed his forehead against the man's back as he had done when he was a child hiding from his father. Squeezing his eyes shut, Marik allowed himself a moment of weakness, indulging for a brief moment in the desire to simply hide from his troubles, his family, and his duties.

He felt a soft pressure on his shoulder, and lifted his head slowly to see Ishizu next to him, her smile full of love and empathy and eyes that said 'It's alright. We're here for you.'

Marik couldn't manage to smile back, but he brought a hand up to cover hers, and reached up to squeeze his brother's shoulder in gratitude.

Before his brain could catch up with his body, he stepped out from behind Odion and faced the group.

Sensing what his brother intended to do, Odion shouted over the din "Silence! Let Marik speak!"

The silence that followed was more due to shock than an actual desire to listen to the former servant, but Marik was grateful for it nonetheless.

He stared into the faces of the people he had grown up with, who had once respected him and served him, and the change he saw in them now cut through him like the dagger Paki had threatened him with.

Now, that dagger was looking more and more appealing.

His throat had gone bone-dry and he wondered idly when he had last had a drink of water.

Oh well, he'd just have to wait a little longer.

He might be dead in a few minutes anyways.

"I… I'm not going to beg your forgiveness… I know I don't deserve it for all of the things I've done, but… I do know that you all deserve the truth."

The Tomb-Keeper's did not respond, simply stared at him with hard faces, and he turned to see Fenuku's torn expression, as well as Paki's smug face next to him, and behind them the innocent shock of Monifa as she was held by Sharifa, whose normally lovely eyes were filled with harsh judgments.

Marik had to force his head to stay up, and his eyes to make contact with the others in the room.

"The night I… ran away… that day, Ishizu and I, we… went to the surface. Father knew that we had left, and was beating Odion as punishment. When we got back, we went to help him, but… Odion fell unconscious – I thought he was dead – and… I know this might sound strange, unbelievable even, but… there was a dark presence in my mind, created by my pain and anger and fear… and when I thought Odion had died, the anger took over. I lost control of my mind; I didn't know what was going on. When I… regained consciousness, I found – "

Marik paused abruptly, and his siblings looked at him in concern.

His head was still held high, but he was no longer looking at anyone in particular; rather, he was staring off into space, lost in the memories.

For a moment he didn't speak, didn't move; he simply stared into the dark, and Ishizu noticed his eyes becoming misty, and when she reached to lay a hand on his arm he shivered violently, though it did not break him from his reverie.

When he spoke again, his voice was so full of fear and pain that Ishizu felt she was listening to a child instead of the tall man next to her, "I found my father dead, brutally murdered, and… I didn't know how it had happened."

With that he seemed to break from his trance, and once again tried to focus on the eyes all gazing at him, many with very different looks than they had had only minutes ago.

"I saw a someone then… a spirit who had told Ishizu and I to return home when we ventured outside…. He said my father's death and the pain our family has and would have to suffer was the will of the Pharaoh. So… I left to find the Pharaoh, and take my revenge against him for my father and my family and… myself. I took the Millennium Items to help me in my quest, and I spent many years building a powerful arsenal to help me get revenge. And… and then I found the Pharaoh."

Marik did bow his head then, the shame of his actions towards the powerful yet merciful king catching up to him.

"I used every trick I could think of to gain his power; I was malicious, cruel, deceitful… and a disgrace to our family. But I didn't care then. So long as he suffered, as I had suffered… as our family had suffered… I thought I would be satisfied."

Again he paused, collecting his thoughts, then continued "Odion and I took part in a tournament to defeat the Pharaoh and win his power. Ishizu joined as well to try and stop us. During one of our… fights though, Odion was again struck unconscious, and the evil entity that I created in my mind took over. It was stronger than ever because of all of the resentment and hate I had fueled it with over the years. It completely took over my body, and left my soul drifting from host to host as I tried to fight it. Once I discovered what had truly happened when I was a child – how it was my evil side who murdered my father – I began to let go of my anger, and see things for how they truly were."

He looked out across the room, into every face he could make out as he said, "You'll never know the torment and anguish I went through; how every second was filled with a complete understanding of my sins – a perfect view of what my selfish actions throughout my life had done to those I loved, and to those who didn't deserve to suffer. I was disgusted with myself. Because if there's one thing I've learned while I've been on the surface, it's that no matter what darkness I've had to go through, there's so much goodness in the world that should never have to see those things. Bringing darkness to the light just so it knows what fear and pain is… doesn't solve anything. It only makes the world darker for everyone. But I also found that light can penetrate darkness with more power than darkness can extinguish it, and that's the only way happiness… no, not even happiness… the only way healing can occur; when we let others bring us light, and we search for the light ourselves. That's what my siblings taught me. And… that's what the Pharaoh taught me as well."

Marik looked towards his uncle, hoping to see anything other than the betrayal he had worn earlier. Fenuku looked back at him, deep into his eyes, and Marik saw understanding and, dare he think, forgiveness.

Next to him, Paki stood stiff with his arms crossed over his chest. His entire aura had turned from smug to defensive, but there was still no forgiveness in his face.

"When my dark side faced off against the Pharaoh," Marik continued, still facing his uncle and cousin even as he addressed the whole group, "the Pharaoh fought to save me, despite everything I had done, because he believed that there was still some light in me which didn't deserve to die. I couldn't see it at the time… I was ready to give up."

He looked then at Odion and Ishizu, taking a moment to gaze at each of them with all of the love he could muster as he said "But my siblings wouldn't accept that. They encouraged me and helped me overcome my own self-pity. They helped me look for the tiny spots of light in my life; my family."

Marik smiled once more at them and turned to face everyone else. "Once I was ready to keep living, the Pharaoh was able to destroy my dark side and rid me of the hatred I had carried since childhood. It was then that I gave him the Millenium Items I had taken, and revealed to him the secret of his memories which I carry on my back. He said he would return here to Egypt sometime soon, to complete his journey to the afterlife, and… he… he called me a friend. He thanked me for helping him defeat my own darkness."

His eyes scanned the room, hoping to find… anything; any positive emotion he could latch on to, to help him redeem himself in their eyes.

"So you see, in the end, the Pharaoh forgave me; even though he knew everything I'd done in my past, and despite all the pain and torment I caused him… he was able to forgive me and allow me to start over. I… can't really ask you to do the same, because of what my actions have done to you… but, can't you give me a chance? I want to rescue my family; won't you allow me to make up for the wrongs I committed against you all, and help you escape the life you've been forced into by these invaders in our home?"

There was no response; not even movement among the crowd.

They all seemed to be waiting for something.

"Marik… I believe you." Fenuku's voice was deep and thick with emotion, but there was no hesitation in his words. "And… I forgive you."

"I forgive you as well."

Marik looked to see Sharifa staring at him, her face proud and eyes back to their deep shine, free from the judgments that had filled them earlier.

"I don't forgive you. Not yet." Marik wasn't surprised to hear these words from Paki, but he was surprised by the tone the young man used, specifically its lack of anger and hatred. "I don't completely believe your story, but it seems you've already suffered for your actions. And until I know the truth, that'll have to do. But if what you said is true, than we need to focus on preparing for the Pharaoh, and to do that we need to get rid of the barbarians who are taking over this place. So? Do you have a plan to accomplish that?"

Despite himself, Marik almost smiled at the change in his cousin. He had not expected any sort of support from him, and was amazed by the small miracle that had occurred.

Perhaps Shadi was right; perhaps he could lead these people.

After all, they were still family.

Marik turned to look at Fenuku, who nodded supportively, and Marik took this to mean that the decision making was going to be up to him.

"Well, if you're really willing to help me, I think I have a few ideas…."

*Author's Note:

Urgh. Another late chapter. I'm not meaning to change the update schedule, really! But I got sick on Sunday and had a fever Monday and Tuesday, and I'm still recovering as I write this, and… I know as a reader you probably don't care, but I'm just saying, I have a life outside of this. Not much of one, but it's something. And things happen beyond my control.

I know, I'm still not happy about it either.

And thanks once again to those who reviewed, favorited, or followed! You're probably tired of hearing me say this, but I really appreciate it! It gives me a reason to work my butt off trying to keep a schedule! I'm horrible at schedules (as you can tell) but it helps me a lot! You're all wonderful! :3

As for the story… I know, more talking. I promise, action will follow in the next chapter. There was just a *lot* of exposition and background to get through before I could justify anyone making any sort of decision or actually doing anything. I hope it didn't get too… Council of Elrond-y though… I don't wanna lose people over a chapter. :/ Please! Stay tuned for next week as we near the conclusion of this story! Not too far to go now! :D