There have been questions on the Yugi boy/girl thing. I know that it's confusing, but I won't answer it yet. You'll find out in later chapters. Sorry to leave you in suspense.
Enjoy this one!
Chapter 3- Loopholes
The following day, Heba and Atemu went to breakfast to find that Ryou, Malik, and Jou were already there with Bakura, Marik, and Jou.
"Heba!" the three exclaimed, jumping up and running over to hug their friend.
"Hey, guys!" Heba said, rather happy.
Atemu couldn't stop the smile that started to cross his features.
"We heard that you were back, and we're glad to see you again." Ryou said.
"Yeah. It's been kind of lonely without you around." Jou added.
"Well, some of us actually have important jobs that we have to do, puppy." Seth said.
"I didn't say that what you do isn't important, dragon." Jou retorted.
"You implied it!" Seth said.
"I did not!" Jou shot back.
"I see that they haven't changed." Heba remarked.
"Heba, those two will never change." Atemu told him.
"Wow. You really are pregnant." Malik said.
Heba rolled his eyes. "You just now noticed." Heba said sarcastically.
"Well, that's something that's hard to miss." Malik said.
Heba glared at him.
"What? It is rather obvious." Malik said.
"Heba, I heard that you had two sisters that are here. Where are they?" Ryou asked.
"I don't know. Yami said that he was going to wait on them." Heba replied.
Yuugi and Mana were walking down the hall.
"What do you think you are doing?!" a voice hissed.
Yuugi turned to find Vivian standing there with her father, looking angry.
"I am going to breakfast, Lady Vivian." Yuugi answered in calm, even tone.
"What were you doing in the east wing?" Lord Wong said. Instead of answering, he called two guards over. "Take these two to the dungeons and whip them." Lord Wong ordered.
'Your sisters will pay for coming back.' Vivian thought angrily.
The guards grabbed.
"Perhaps you would like to tell the Pharaoh why you are having me punished." Yuugi said.
"He will not need to question it." Lord Wong said.
The guards looked at each other.
"Why are they being punished?" one guard asked.
"You don't need to know!" Vivian snapped.
"We are forbidden from punishing someone without a reason. To do so is considered treason. If there is no reason, we will not." the other guard said.
"They were in the east wing! Only those with permission can be in those halls!" Lord Wong said triumphantly.
"Perhaps you should remember that only my father can order whippings to those servants in the palace that are not personal servants." a voice said.
The group turned to see Yami.
"Prince Yami, they-" Lord Wong started.
"Have my father's permission to be in the east wing. In fact, their guest chamber is in the wing itself. That is where they are staying, so they have committed no wrong. You, on the other hand, are forbidden from being in them, so I suggest you go on since you can go no further without trespassing in an area you have been told not to go to." Yami said.
Vivian and Lord Wong wanted to say something, but knew that insulting Yami would only lead to trouble for them, so they left, but not before glaring angrily at them.
The guards kneeled and said, "Prince, forgive us. We did not know."
"It's not your fault. If they order anything against these two from now on, talk to my father before you do anything. Tell the other guards as well." Yami said.
"Yes, my Prince." the guards said before leaving.
"Yuugi, why did they do that?" Mana asked.
"Because they are angry and are taking out on us." Yuugi answered.
"But why?" Mana asked.
"I don't know." Yuugi answered. She looked at Yami and said, "Thanks you for helping us."
"She's only trying to do something to get back at Heba. After all, his pregnancy is what has caused her to have problems with all this." Yami said.
"Thank you, anyway." Yuugi said.
"Come. I'm sure that they're wondering why we haven't come to breakfast yet." Yami said.
Yuugi nodded and followed Yami down the hall.
Jou and Seth were still arguing.
"This is getting annoying." Heba said.
"They've been at it for half an hour." Malik commented.
"And they're on an entirely different subject now." Marik added.
"You know that those two could argue about a hundred different things in one argument." Atemu said.
"They're at it again?"
The others turned to see Yami, Yuugi, and Mana in the room.
Yuugi looked utterly confused.
"Seth and Jou do this all the time, Yuugi. Don't worry about it." Heba said.
Yuugi nodded as they all sat down.
Servants brought breakfast to them.
"What took you so long?" Atemu asked.
"Vivian." Yami growled.
"That's enough for me. Don't need to hear anymore." Bakura said.
"I know that I am going to regret this, but what did she do?" Atemu asked.
"I believe that she hoped to get back Heba for returning to the palace by having Mana and me whipped." Yuugi said.
"What for?!" Heba exclaimed.
"She and her father saw us coming from the east wing. Naturally, they ordered that we be whipped. They weren't even going to tell the guards why they were whipping us until the guards said that they couldn't do anything without knowing why. They said it and then Yami showed up. He told the guards that the Pharaoh gave us permission to be in the east wing, and that our chambers were there." Yuugi explained.
"I also told the guards not to do anything to Yuugi or Mana without talking to Father first. It'll be spread to all the guards before long." Yami added.
"That girl needs to get a grip." Marik remarked.
"Of course she does, but she won't." Seth said since he and Jou had stopped arguing.
"Well, since you two are through arguing, I think that some introductions are in order." Atemu said.
"Oh, right. I'm Jou." Jou said.
"I'm Ryou." Ryou added.
"And I'm Malik." Malik said.
"Nice to meet you all. I'm Yuugi, and this is our younger sister, Mana." Yuugi said.
"Hi." Mana said cheerfully.
"Hi to you, too." Ryou said.
"You know, we might want to mention to the Pharaoh about what Vivian and her father tried to pull." Seth said.
"Won't they try to deny it?" Ryou asked.
"Probably, but I was there as were the two guards. It would be hard to get around it." Yami said.
"He's right. Besides, Father did say to keep him informed of everything that Vivian did." Atemu pointed out.
The group nodded.
Soon, breakfast was over, and the group started to disperse.
"Yuugi, can I play with Ishizu again?" Mana asked.
"We can find Priestess Isis and see." Yuugi replied.
"Isis won't mind. Ishizu stays in the healing chambers so that she can keep an eye on Ishizu. She won't mind Mana being in there, too. Actually, Ishizu could use the playmate." Atemu said.
"I'm going by the healing chambers. I will take her." Ryou said.
"All right. Thank you." Yuugi said.
"Come on." Ryou said.
Mana followed Ryou out of the room.
Yuugi, Yami, Atemu, and Heba were the only ones left in the room.
"Yuugi, I believe that I need to thank you." Atemu said.
"Whatever for?" Yuugi asked.
"Heba told me that you were the one that convinced him to come back to the palace, and that you were the one that took care of him these last five months. I just wanted to thank you for that." Atemu said.
Yuugi smiled. "You don't need to thank me. He is brother, and I was glad to do it. Besides, this is where he belongs." Yuugi said.
"In any case, thank you." Atemu said.
To Yuugi's surprise, Atemu hugged her. Yuugi smiled and said, "I was glad to do it, and I would do it again."
"Come on, Atemu. I think that you and I were supposed to meet the Pharaoh." Heba said.
"Right. We'll see you later." Atemu added before they left.
"Is your brother usually that affectionate?" Yuugi asked.
"No, but I think that's how grateful he is to you." Yami replied.
"Can I assume that Atemu was the only one that they needed to see, and Heba just went so that Atemu could keep an eye on him?" Yuugi asked.
"That would be it, although I think that they wanted to see Heba, too." Yami said. He looked at her and said, "Is there anything that you need, Yuugi?"
"Well, I was wondering if the Pharaoh would mind me looking around the palace archives." Yuugi said.
"He wouldn't. I'll take you there." Yami said.
"You know that you don't have to." Yuugi said.
"I know, but if you were the one that convinced Heba to come back, and you took care of him. That means a lot to my brother, and that means a lot to me, Yuugi, I just want to try and repay you." Yami said.
"All right." Yuugi said.
The two left the room and went to the palace archives.
"What are we looking for?" Yami asked.
"I'm not sure, but it's about the laws." Yuugi said.
"Well, that narrows it done a lot. I'll get everything on the laws, and we'll got from there." Yami said.
"We?" Yuugi asked.
"Yes, we. I know you're looking for a way to get Vivian out, and nothing would make me happier than to get that bitch out of the palace. Besides, I want to thank you for what you've done for my brother, so I'm helping you." Yami said.
"Okay." Yuugi agreed.
Yami got everything that they would need, and the two got to work.
"Heba, we are glad that you are back." Amara said.
"Well, I am glad to be back." Heba said.
"Heba, who took care of you the last few months?" Aknankanon asked.
"My sister did. Yuugi has a bit of a talent in healing, so she understands this stuff. She's very talented." Heba said.
"I see. Well, that is certainly good." Aknankanon said.
"What on your mind?" Atemu asked.
"We are all concerned that Vivian will try to harm Heba now that he's back. We are also concerned that one of her spies might try and do something." Aknankanon said.
"That's why he's not going to be left alone." Atemu said.
"I wish that there was a way to force Vivian to leave. At least until her child is born." Amara said.
"The laws bind us to this." Aknankanon said.
"Atemu, should we tell them what Vivian did earlier?" Heba asked.
"What did she do now?" Aknankanon growled.
Atemu told them what they had been told about what Vivian tried to do to Yuugi and Mana.
"A child! She tried to have a child whipped!" Aknankanon growled.
"Yami said that he told the guards that any further orders from them to whip Yuugi or Mana were to go through you. They have to talk to you first." Atemu said.
"Good. I have had it with her." Aknankanon said.
"Heba, where has your sister been all this time?" Amara asked.
"She and Mana live in the village near the border. There's little help for people out there. She uses her healing talents there." Heba answered. There was an undertone of bitterness in his voice.
"You don't like her being there, do you?" Amara asked.
"No, but it wouldn't bother me if the villagers actually appreciated her." Heba said.
"What do you mean?" Atemu asked.
Heba sighed. "The people there are always mistreating her. Many just want her in their bed. Others want her to leave because they hate her for her beauty. Others call her a slut as Vivian did because they think that Mana is her daughter, not her sister. Even the children call Yuugi names. When they need her healing abilities to help one of their family members, they burst into Yuugi's house without knocking and pretty much order her to come and help. They call her a bitch, a slut, or any other derisive remark they can think of." Heba said.
"That's horrible!" Amara exclaimed.
"Why does Yuugi stay?" Aknankanon asked.
"Yuugi wants to help. It bothers her, even if she tries to hide it." Heba said.
"No one here other than Vivian and her father will do that. After all, they'll do it out of spit." Atemu said.
"She will ignore that. Trust me." Heba said.
"I wish that there was something we can do." Amara said.
"I've found it!" Yuugi exclaimed.
Yami jumped and looked at her. "Found what?" Yami asked.
"Yami, Heba was telling me about the day Vivian made that claim. One of the councilmen said that the law states that if the Prince is eighteen when the child is born, he has to marry the woman, right?" Yuugi asked.
"Yes. The only reason for the wait is because there is conflict about whether or not the baby is Atemu's which we know is a lie. Aman told Father that." Yami said.
"Then I think Aman is a liar." Yuugi said.
"What do you mean?" Yami asked.
"Read this." Yuugi said, pointing to a page in the book.
Yami looked and read it.
It said:
If a woman is found to be with child by a Prince of Egypt, if the Prince is eighteen or older at the time of conception, then he will obligated to marry her. If the Prince is seventeen at the time of conception, he is given the right to refuse marriage and deny the child if he so chooses. If there is a discrepancy as to whether or not the child is the Prince's, then any marriage will wait until the baby's parentage is known.
"I don't believe it. Aman lied to us." Yami said in disbelief.
"Yes, he did. Atemu just turned eighteen last month, right?" Yuugi asked.
"Yes." Yami replied.
"Then this law does not apply to him. It's conception, not birth. Aman said when the child was born. It's conception." Yuugi said.
"Aman, Vivian, and Wong twisted the truth. They tried to change the laws to suit their needs." Yami said.
"Exactly." Yuugi said.
"I don't get it. What does Aman get out of all this?" Yami asked.
"I don't know, but I believe that we should show this to the pharaoh." Yuugi said.
"Right." Yami agreed.
"And scare Vivian with something else." Yuugi said.
"Like what?" Yami asked.
"Well, this book her says that 'if a woman married to the Pharaoh or Prince is found to have given birth to a child not her husband's, then the marriage is immediately absolved, the woman stripped of her title and power, tried for treason, and put to death'." Yuugi said.
"That doesn't apply." Yami said.
"Let me finish. 'If a woman makes a claim that the Pharaoh or the Prince impregnated her, then when the child is born, if it is proven that the child does not belong to the Pharaoh or Prince, then the woman will be tried for treason under the charge of blasphemy and will lose all rank and power and be exiled from Egypt for life." Yuugi said.
"That does apply." Yami said.
Yuugi smirked. "Shall we tell the Pharaoh of the loophole that we have found?" Yuugi asked.
"Yes. You know, Father has searched for a way to get Aman off his council for a long time. Aman was in charge of knowing the law, so that fact leads to the conclusion that he lied to Father when he said that it was birth that Atemu had to be eighteen, not conception. This will give Father the ability to throw him off the council." Yami said.
"And this will get Vivian and her father thrown out of the palace." Yuugi said.
"Yes, it will. After all, if Atemu can refuse marriage whether the child is his or not, which I know it's not, then there is no reason for them to remain in the palace." Yami said.
Yuugi thought a moment. "Yami, when do Vivian and her father even come to the palace?" Yuugi asked.
"Once a year. Just the annual talk of how things in the providence are going." Yami answered.
"When is that?" Yuugi asked.
"It's coming up soon." Yami answered.
"And Atemu never leaves the palace, right?" Yuugi asked.
"No. He refuses to. That is unless there's a reason like a festival or something. Why?" Yami asked.
"The timeline doesn't add up. Around the time Vivian would have conceived, it was the time of the assassin scare where assassin threatened the Royal family. The palace was sealed off for two months. If she couldn't get in and he couldn't get out, how did he get her pregnant?" Yuugi asked.
Yami's eyes widened as it dawned on him. "He couldn't have. There was no way." Yami said.
"Exactly. She's been lying. Even if it can't be proven, I think there's enough to convince the council to force them to leave." Yuugi said.
"Let's tell Father, shall we?" Yami asked.
Taking the book with them, the two left the archives.
"This is outrageous!" Aknankanon shouted.
"Father, I think we have enough to get Vivian and her father out of the palace, don't we?" Yami asked.
"Yes, we do. There will be an emergency meeting. This will be discussed now. Thank you for finding this Yami." Aknankanon said.
"Thank Yuugi. It was her idea." Yami said.
"I couldn't have done it without your help." Yuugi reminded him.
"You both deserve a thank you for this. You've proven that she couldn't have slept with Atemu in the timeframe needed for her to become pregnant by him." Aknankanon said.
"I think that they're all in for a big shock." Yami said.
'Father, I think that it's working.' Yuugi thought.
You know the loopholes in Vivian's scheme as well as the way to get rid of her.
Next chapter will focus on the confrontation and the revelation of the known law to Vivian, Wong, and Aman as well as the inconsistent timeline.
R&R.