Disclaimer. Yu-Gi-Oh! does not belong to me. It belongs to Kazuki Takahashi and crew. Some characters will be made up by me. Please ask if you want to use them.
Isis shifted, her legs cramping from her kneeled position. Disconnecting from Ipiria for a second, she glanced towards the door, seeing a glint of armor at the edge of the door. She cleared her throat, and a head peeked in.
It was Frezick. He looked a bit pale, and a few scratches that have scabbed over were on his face. Isis frowned.
"Frezick? Shouldn't you be resting?"
The young guard smiled. "It's fine. My duty to guard this palace is more important than my wellbeing."
Isis narrowed her eyes. "Did the Pharoah tell you that?"
Frezick shook his head. "No. It's my own decision. I'll protect this palace with my life. And right now my job is to protect you. So that is what I will do."
Isis smiled in approval. "Well said Frezick. Your loyalty is quite commendable."
Frezick blinked, a slight blush appearing on his cheeks.
"I uh...t-thank you! High Priestess Isis."
Isis inclined her head slightly. "Of course. If it's alright with you...may I have some water?"
Frezick saluted. "Yes. Of course I'll get you some water!" He marched off, looking pleased with himself.
Isis waited patiently until he came back, holding a metal cup of water. He handed it to Isis, who accepted it gratefully. When she was finished, she handed the cup back to Frezick, and grabbed his arm before he left.
"Wait! Listen when I tell you...don't push yourself too hard."
Frezick laughed softly. "Alright. But my duty comes first. You'll listen to my wishes to right?"
The amused woman let go of his arm, shaking her head, long black hair swaying underneath her headdress.
(You know what her headdress looks like right? If you don't just search up Isis Yu-Gi-Oh! and her picture should appear.)
"Alright Frezick. It appears you're quite stubborn. Do as you must."
Frezick bowed and left the room, placing the cup by the door for future use and taking up position again.
Isis closed her eyes, reconnecting to Ipiria.
A moment passed.
Seeing through Ipiria's eyes, she was flying, following Mahado who had long since cancelled his invisibility spell, and was seen traveling at a slow pace. She understood why.
'He must be conserving his Ba. Be careful Mahado...we don't know where the enemy will strike next.'
Ipiria looked fowards, past Mahado, who had stopped, staring at a lonely hut near the bottom of a cliff.
Ipiria hovered in the air, beating her wings to stay in place. She heard Isis's voice whisper to her.
"Ipiria. Hide yourself away on top of the cliff above the hut. It looks like Mahado's planning to stop here for awhile. I sense that the owner of the hut means no ill will towards anyone."
Heeding Isis's words, Ipiria soared higher in the sky before flying towards the cliff. Landing, she folded her wings in and sat down, crossing her legs. She waited for Isis's next instructions, but there was none. Isis was simply waiting.
Mahado approached the hut, tired but still alert. The hut looked like it had seen better days. The roof was sagging and half the hut was buried in the ground. Mahado walked towards the crumbling hut, peeking through the doorway.
A beautiful old woman sat in a chair, long silver hair flowing around her. Her harsh green eyes were filled with confusion and sorrow. A leather cord tied around her waist hung limply down, with one light brown, red and black feather sewn onto the cord.
She held two more feathers, one of the same colour from her dress in her hand, but the once beautiful feather was crushed.
The other feather was white, but was stained red with blood.
Mahado stood at the door, opting to not ruin the sorrowful silence drifting around the woman. Without looking up, the woman spoke, her voice full of dread. "What is it that you want? What would renowned best magician of Egypt want with me?"
Mahado hesitated, worried about the woman's state.
"Are you alright?"
The woman shook her head slowly. "No. No I'm far from alright. That boy...Bakura...I weep for him."
Mahado tensed, taking a few steps into the house.
"Why would you despair for someone like him?"
The woman looked up.
"I have known the more innocent side of Bakura. He used to be a kind gentle boy, in the few hours I have known him.
The Bakura that you know is actually a dark spirit inhabiting the boy's body. He is responsible for what he has caused.
Not Bakura.
But yet the spirit has chosen to adopt the boy's name, making it seem like Bakura was really the one that has done all this, not the spirit."
Mahado glanced at his staff, and thought about numerous different spells. "Is there a way to bring the original Bakura back?"
The woman shook her head. "No. He is too far gone. The spirit has erased what had been of Bakura."
A tear rolled down her cheek, falling off and landing on the bloodied white feather. Mahado walked up to the woman, looking down at her.
"I'm sorry. If there was a way I could bring him back I would do it."
The woman was silent. She pressed the two feathers into Mahado's hands.
"If you must kill Bakura..then so be it...whatever happens, even if there is a chance you might die, at least place these feathers in Bakura's grave.
I want him to have them when he passes on and..."
Mahado blinked.
"And what?"
The woman shook her head again. "It's nothing."
Mahado lifted his hand, staring at the feathers.
"I'll try, Miss...what's your name?"
The woman smiled up at him.
"Just call me...Mrs. Ryou."
End Of Chapter Sixteen