Dream Prince

Chapter 2

Destruction of the Dream

Atemu was missing. Even though this was a common occurrence in the palace it still managed to annoy Seto to no end whenever it happened. It was the most important day of the year, as Atemu had dubbed it a year ago, and still the prince was nowhere to be found.

If Seto had not been the kind of person who took pride in being always in complete control of his emotions, he would have been pulling his hair out and screaming Atemu's name in frustration by now. He was already a priest, next in line for the title of high priest, which meant that he had many duties that were a great deal more important than searching for a runaway prince. And he had been doing so since the sun had risen that morning. Ever since he had found out that the Nile had stopped flooding completely overnight. And that was why he was looking for his cousin. Atemu had made him promise to come inform him as soon as the Nile was back in its usual stream.

Seto finally found his cousin in the palace gardens. Well, not as much in the gardens as on the outer wall of it. Atemu was sitting on top of the castle wall, gazing down to the front gates of the palace. It did not take Seto a long time to figure out that the prince was already aware of the state of the river.

"You do realize that you would have a better view from the balcony of your father's chambers, right?" Seto commented loudly, taking pleasure in being able to be snappy with his cousin. Atemu jumped slightly before turning around to look at Seto.

"What?" the prince called back with his voice full of distaste. Seto smirked smugly at Atemu's glare and spoke: "You're trying to see when Yugi arrives, correct?" The brunet did not wait for an answer when he already continued: "Well, I was simply saying that you can see farther from the balcony in the pharaoh's chamber."

There was a moment of silence and Seto merely waited patiently for the time it took for his cousin to realize that his words were absolutely right. Then Atemu leaped off the wall and Seto's eyes widened as the prince plummeted to the ground. The star-haired teen managed to land on the grass in a crouch, however, seemingly completely unharmed. He stood up and brushed some dirt off his knees before looking up at the shocked expression on the taller boy's face.

"What?" Atemu questioned with a lifted eyebrow, the words snapping Seto back to earth as he glared icily at his shorter cousin.

"You're absolutely idiotic", Seto growled at the prince. "You could have hurt yourself or even gotten yourself killed."

"Not very likely", Atemu said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "I've been climbing these walls since I was five."

"I know", Seto grumbled with a disapproving frown. "You dragged me along almost every time."

"That means you should know better than to doubt me", Atemu replied with a smug smile. "You've seen how good I am at climbing."

"Still", Seto growled before grabbing Atemu's arm in a vice grip. "It wouldn't do for you to be unable to walk when Yugi visits, now would it?" He started dragging Atemu inside the palace even as he was still speaking. Atemu was following him without any fight but still remarked: "It doesn't really matter much now when I've already jumped." Seto did not bother to answer.

The two were just about to enter the main hall of the palace when suddenly a horse galloped through the doorway. There was a rider sitting in the saddle, with his clothes torn and eyes glancing around wildly. The man toppled over suddenly and fell down on the floor, while the horse shifted around nervously after having lost its rider before settling down.

"Hey!" Atemu exclaimed, rushing right past Seto as he made his way to the clearly injured rider. A few palace guards also ran to the man's side while the rest went off to inform the healers and the pharaoh of the sudden arrival. Seto decided to follow his cousin and came within hearing distance of the small group gathered just in time to hear Atemu speak out: "This seal on your armour… You're one of Lord Arat's men. What happened?"

There was a small cough before a hoarse voice replied: "We were attacked. It was unlike anything we had ever seen before. Such magic…such brutal strength…I have no idea what that creature was…"

"What happened to the rest of the group?" Atemu questioned, his tone worried. He was clearly concerned for Yugi's well being.

"I don't know…" the same weak voice replied. "The battle was still going on when I came to get help. They aren't far from the city gates…to North…"

Atemu stood up then, leaving the guards to tend to the wounded guard. Seto could not see his cousin's face from his position behind the prince but he did notice the tense way the prince stood. He knew exactly what his cousin was about to do but could still do nothing more but yell after the star-haired teen when he suddenly ran out the palace.

"Atemu!" Seto bellowed, sprinting after his cousin through the doorway. He followed Atemu's back across the courtyard, all the way to the stables. Seto stood in the doorway as Atemu hurriedly threw a saddle on a grey-haired horse's back. It was Atemu's favorite horse, the fastest one in the stables.

"Atemu, stop this foolishness at once", Seto ordered sternly, not about to have his cousin and prince run off to get himself killed. "You're not rushing off to battle some unknown enemy. That's a job for the soldiers."

"Waiting for them will take too long", Atemu argued as he pulled himself on the saddle. "With every moment that passes, Yugi is closer to death!" The prince pulled on the reins he was holding in his grasp and shot Seto a stern glare with his blood red eyes. "Out of my way, Seto."

A deep sigh escaped Seto as he observed the way Atemu was sitting in the saddle, strong and proud. And damn stubborn at that matter. There was a very high chance that he would run Seto over with his horse if the brunet did not step aside.

"There's really no way to stop you despite violence, is there?" the priest muttered, more to himself than to Atemu. He glanced to the side, directing his eyes on a black stallion that was standing in the back of the stable. Another sigh was released from between his lips and he spoke to his cousin: "Then I will be coming along."

There was a surprised expression on Atemu's face, but it only lasted for a moment before it turned into an amused smile. Seto hurried past his smugly smirking cousin as he quickly prepared the horse he had chosen. He was already pulling himself up into the saddle when Atemu spoke out: "Just like old times, then?"

"Indeed", Seto growled when his horse stepped up next to Atemu's own. "You're rushing off to danger and I'm pulled along for the ride."

"I never force you to come along", Atemu shot back. "You always come along out of your own free will, and many times I didn't even need to ask you to accompany me when you were already following me." With that Atemu's horse took off, before Seto could give an angry retort in response. The priest was reduced to merely following his cousin, like always.

The ride out of the city passed by in a blur, the sun blinding Seto every now and then. The wide streets were still easy to follow and the duo passed through the open city gates at almost at the same time. Then, after reaching open territory, Atemu encouraged his steed to rush even faster. Sand rose into the air and Seto found his horse slowly falling behind. Still, the dust cloud the prince lifted behind him and left in his wake was easy enough to follow, even as Seto lost view of the prince's back.

When Seto regained sight of Atemu, the prince had jumped off of his horse and was in the middle of the remains of a caravan. The destruction was terrifying; everything the group had been carrying with them had been scattered across the desert sand while the torn remains of camels dyed the pale sand crimson. Among the animal carnage there were also some recognisable pieces of armour so Seto decided that it was better he did not look at the mess any closer. Instead he made his way to his cousin before leaping off his saddle and landing next to the crouched prince.

Atemu was supporting the abused body of Lord Arat, the man easily recognized from his long, dark emerald hair and beard. The king was talking to Atemu and Seto caught on the conversation right on time to hear the man gasp out: "I knew him…he took my wife…and Yugi…"

"Who was it?" Atemu questioned, squeezing the king's shoulder. "Who took Yugi?" But he got no response. There was no name whispered on a dying breath, but merely an empty look that gazed up into the skies, not bothered by the bright sunlight. Arat had died.

Carefully Seto laid a hand on Atemu's shoulder and spoke gently: "It's no use, Atemu. He's dead now." The brunet bit his bottom lip before offering helplessly: "I'm sorry."

"He spoke of a large, flying monster", Atemu started to speak, his tone empty as he retold Lord Arat's story. "He said he thought it to be a dragon. It was a huge creature with wide wings. But it was covered in hair, except for the wings that were thin, like merely skin and bones. He called it by a strange name: bat. He called it a giant bat." Atemu turned to look at Seto. "He spoke of a 'him' as well. It was someone he knew, a summoner I guess. And that summoner took Yugi and Lady Mia."

"What do you plan to do about that?" Seto asked, knowing that there was a reason Atemu was reciting this all to him. And that reason might not promise anything good for the two of them.

"I'm going after that man", Atemu spoke sternly. "I'm going after him and I'm saving Yugi."

"That's pointless", Seto grunted out. "You have no idea who you are going after. And other than that, this is probably something that is happening beyond the Illusions. There's no travelling to that country."

"But what about Yugi?" Atemu growled angrily, with a violent edge. "Who will help him?"

"I really don't know", Seto spoke truthfully. "But it's not our place. We have little if any information. What we need to do is tell your father that Lord Arat's kingdom is going through a crisis so that he will be prepared. It is very likely that the man might appear again." The last part was said mostly to calm Atemu down, but the prince was not likely to notice that in his current state.

"But Yugi…" Atemu whined pitifully and Seto glared at the depressed boy. His voice was colder than midnight in the desert when he spoke: "If this mystery man wanted Yugi dead he would not have bothered with kidnapping him. The man is probably aiming to become the new king. Once he has succeeded in doing that his identity will become common knowledge at some point. We should wait and see what happens next."

"Yugi is my beloved!" Atemu shouted out angrily. "How can you say all these things so easily?"

"We're Egyptians, they're Dreams. Not only are the differences between our kingdoms making things difficult but there is also the distance between our countries." Seto sneered coldly at his cousin as he paused in his speech. He was actually getting angry with the way Atemu clung to the thought of Yugi. That was why he spoke his next words: "You just wait. Within a year you will have forgotten all about Yugi. You're way too young to be truly in love."

"How can you be so heartless?" Atemu asked in an incredulous tone. "We're talking about other people here! People we know!"

"This is politics, Atemu", Seto said sternly, realizing that this was a lesson Atemu needed to learn. "Violent politics, but politics nonetheless. You wouldn't be creating such an uproar if you didn't know Yugi."

"Of course I would!" Atemu exclaimed heatedly. "We're talking about other people's lives here! Some has been assassinated!"

Seto looked at his cousin sceptically. One slim eyebrow arched as the brunet spoke: "People get assassinated all the time. There are people who are after even you and your father. Why do you think you have so many guards? Do you honestly think you will be able to mourn every murdered king?"

There was only silence after that. Seto felt sorry for Atemu, but the shorter teen could not continue to act like a child when he was supposed to become the pharaoh one day. Atemu's future role was going to be even more difficult than Seto's and already the brunet was starting to feel the strain they were both in for. Atemu would need to be strong from now on, because this would not be the first time Atemu would face grief in his life. Someone called it cold, Atemu himself had called it heartless, but to Seto it was survival.

"We should head back, Atemu", Seto spoke out, bringing Atemu's eyes back up to his own. "Your father must be worried sick."

"Is there really nothing we can do?" Atemu questioned weakly and Seto actually looked apologetic when he replied: "We won't be able to do anything but perhaps your father can come up with something." The brunet pulled the shorter teen to his feet. "It's a chance worth trying."

The ride back to the castle was not nearly as quick as the ride to the desert. Atemu seemed to be deep in thought as his horse slowly made its way through the streets with Seto following closely behind. The brunet did not want to intrude on his cousin in any manner, preferring to simply observe the prince and keep an eye on any possible changes.

When the two had taken their horses back to the stables they returned to the palace, only to run right into an irritated-looking Akhenamkhanen. The man glared at the two boys as he questioned: "Where have you two been? I just met a messenger from Lord Arat. There are some very important news I need to share with you."

"I talked to him already", Atemu replied to his father. "That's the reason I left."

"Oh", the pharaoh looked surprised for a moment and then continued: "You really were fond of Prince Yugi then?"

"Yes…" Atemu replied, trailing off as the word seemed to take a long time to be spoken. Seto watched emotions pass over the prince's face too quickly to be recognized. The pharaoh did not seem to notice as he spoke out: "I see. If you had told me earlier, then perhaps Lord Arat would have not broken off the engagement."

Both Seto and Atemu stared at the pharaoh in disbelief. What was going on? Akhenamkhanen noticed the startled looks on the two teens' faces and said: "You told me you had spoken to the messenger. He came to tell us that Lord Arat is tired of trying to pair you up with his son since you seemed so reluctant."

A look of fury crossed over Atemu's face and the prince opened his mouth to give an angry retort. He was most likely going to speak of the attack but something told Seto that doing that would be a very bad thing indeed. So he quickly reached out and covered Atemu's mouth with his hand. He turned to the pharaoh and gave him what he hoped was a disarming smile as he hurriedly spoke: "That is exactly what the prince was told as well. He was hoping that the messenger was only trying to fool him."

Seto released his hold on Atemu and glanced away when he could feel his cousin's glare drill into the side of his head. Akhenamkhanen stepped closer to his son and Seto could hear the man speak: "I'm really sorry that this did not work out, Atemu. But there are other princes and princesses. I'm sure you will find someone suitable for you."

Atemu stepped away from his father and snapped angrily: "I don't want anyone else! No one is as kind as Yugi." And with that the prince marched away in a bout of unadulterated rage. When Seto could feel the pharaoh's gaze focus on him he turned to meet his ruler's eyes.

"Would you look after Atemu, Seto?" Akhenamkhanen asked, worry colouring his voice. Seto gave the man a curt bow and spoke softly: "Of course, my pharaoh." Then he took a step back and turned around to follow after Atemu. He would need to talk to the prince about what had happened that night, and he would need to get the other boy to stay quiet about it.

To be continued…