May: This is my new update after 1 year of not updating.

Bakura: One year? Wow, how wonderful...maybe you were up to your neck with school that's why you never bothered to come by. How good of you.

May: ?

Bakura: Anyways, as the author said in the preceding chapters, please comment and review and she does not in no way in hell, owns Yu-Gi-Oh!

Atem: They probably knew that by now.

Chapter 18 - The Talk

Arsinoe heaved out a sigh as she looked at her husband's weary form in the orb that the Gods had created before in order to watch out for the wellbeing of the country and the people.

"You don't know how much I would love to you help you." she thought as she looked at her husband sadly. "But the realm of the dead does not cross with the living."

"Watching out for him again?" a voice spoke. She turned around to find Isis standing behind her, her multicolored wings sparkling under the patch of sunlight coming from the opened ceiling.

She bowed in reverence the goddess' image and straightened up again. "Isis."

For a few minutes she considered how she would speak of the matter when in entirety does not concern the realm they are in, when at last, she spoke. "I'm just worried about my husband. It seems that something's troubling him but I'm too far away to help."

Isis looked at her for a little while and nodded her head. "Yes, it seems so." she spoke softly as she put a hand on the queen's shoulder. "The only way you can do is guide him in what path he is expected to take."

"But my children," the queen protested. "I can't rest knowing full well that my husband is worried about them. With the prophecy-"

"Your children do not know the prophecy," the goddess told her sternly. "Telling them would only make your husband fear for their safety more than he should."

"But-"

The goddess sighed as she shook her head and looked at her sadly but with understanding. "I know that you love them so much that you would gladly want to come to the living world to help them. However, child, this is not the way that it should be solved. You're in the Underworld now and the only way you could greatly help your family in the living is to watch out for them. I promise you, we'll never let anything happen to your family without the guidance of Ma'at. And anything that will tilt the balance could bring a devastating plague to Egypt."

Knowing that the goddess would be true to her word, Arsinoe could only look back at the orb and wished that her husband would be able to find strength. Strength that she and her children could provide him.

Isis entered the princess' room only to find the younger sitting on the bed, staring at her hands, seemingly finding them attractive and interesting, despite the painting on her walls. She could only know the reason why she would be in a state like this.

It is when she was deeply thinking about her actions whether it was wrong or not or whether it could somehow affect the stability of the nation.

"It seems that you have a lot on your mind." the older spoke as she walked further inside the room, and sat down beside the younger on the bed.

"Not really." the younger sighed as she shook her head and put her hands on her sides, averting her gaze on the ceiling. "I was wondering why even though I wouldn't amount to much, people still care about me."

At this statement, Isis frowned. "What do you mean?" she inquired.

Heaving out a sigh, the younger turned her head to look at her. "Isis, don't take me for a fool. I know what the people have been saying behind my back ever since I was able to understand the world."

"I assure you that nothing of that is true." the woman assured her but she shook her head. "No. You're wrong. Sometimes, I thought that it was much better if mother was alive and I would be just floating wherever Ka's do and waited for a time in which I would be born to another family-if somehow I died."

"Is that the reason why you left the palace last night?"

The younger nodded. The older then shook her head as she squeezed her shoulder assuringly. "No. Whatever you're thinking wasn't your fault. The gods deemed it fit for you to be born here in this family, in this world. So, don't think that your mother's death was your fault, even if others say so. It is because the gods have something in plan for you."

"But still, mother took the price."

Isis nodded. "True. But it is because that was what the gods willed for her and you know that you can't go against the word of the gods."

"So, that's why." the younger mused. "But I'm still wondering-"

"If you're wondering why I chose to stay with you rather than care for my siblings?"

The younger chuckled. "No. I'm wondering what the gods has in store for me or if not for me, my brother as well."

"That my Princess is for you to know and for the gods to give you the answer at the right time."

"I can't seem to understand why my sister wouldn't like to go with children her own age." Atem mused this over with Marik, Malik and Bakura.

"It's because there aren't many here in the palace." scoffed Marik as he looked at the Prince. "And besides, everyone's scared of your father if news got to him that someone had said a word against her."

Bakura scoffed at what Marik said and shook his head as he pointed a reed stick at them. "It's mainly because the people still thought of your sister as some sort of disease or curse that took the Queen's life. Of course, no one would say that to her face, but it has gone around for years ever since that sister of yours was born."

"And I take it that you would reminisce the moment when you could actually tell her that?" Marik spoke up from beside his brother. "If anyone here has the tendency to start some trouble with her it would start with you, Bakura."

The white haired teen looked at him, with an annoyed glint in his brown eyes. "And why the hell am I pulled into the situation?"

"You're the only one who's brave enough to stand up against the adults." Marik rebutted. "And besides, if anyone can call the royal family by their birth name with a string of insults on the end, it might be again, you."

"Isn't this supposed to be the mere fact that Atem's sister does not interact with her peers?" Malik asked innocently. "How the hell did it end to Bakura's social activity and manners?"

"I'm just making the explanation clearer." Marik answered. The three of them looked at the Prince who hadn't said a thing after what they had fought against.

"Uh, Atem?" Malik called as he poked the unsuspecting royal on the side. Atem jumped away from him while maintaining his composure.

"What?"

"Spacing out again."

Atem shook his head. "Not really."

"Don't lie, Prince." Bakura scoffed. "We've known you since we were young and we know when you're lying or not, so don't hide the fact that it isn't true."

The Prince sighed. "Yeah. But I wonder why…"

"Your sister blamed herself, can't you get that?" Marik said as he grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him. "That's why she wouldn't hang out with her peers is because they really thought she was a curse."

"She maybe a Princess of Egypt, but still it does not prevent her from being harassed by the people."

Atem knew that, even a dense person would understand. But still, the thought of his sister, alone and sad intrigues him. What are the other reasons?

Did something happen or worse, did she hear what the people were calling her behind her back? Words that are sometimes hard to stomach?

He then decided to talk to her to find out for himself.

After dinner…

Atemu sighed as she unfurled one of the scrolls lying on top of her desk and started to read the contents. It sucks to be alone especially when you're someone that was bound to have many friends due to the station in life.

But to her it was the complete opposite.

Children her own age avoid her like the plague, it's not like she isn't attractive, far from it actually but it was because the thought that her mother died giving birth to her. And for them, she robbed the nation of its Queen, regardless of the fact that she was a princess.

As she was about to read the second paragraph of the scroll, a knock sounded on her door. She sighed as she dropped the scroll on the table and went to answer her door, to find her older brother standing behind it.

Silence reigned over the two as they looked at each other.

"What do you want?" she asked as she let out a sigh and opened the door wider, letting him in.

"I just wanted to talk to you." Atem answered as he went inside the room, and sat in one of the chairs by the corner of her bedroom.

"Yeah? And I expect that it would be about what happened last night."

To her utter shock and dismay, the older shook his head. "It's not that."

"So what?"

Atem looked at her intensely with his crimson eyes and sighed. "I kind of notice that you don't hang around with kids your age."

"No one to hang around with." she replied as rolled up the scroll and placed it on the side of her desk. "If you're here to offer pity, I'm sorry that you have come at the wrong place."

"I'm not here to offer that." he told her. "I just wanted to know-"

"You've got to have goat skin in your ears, older brother." she replied sarcastically. "In order not to hear what the walls were saying."

"What are you talking about?"

The younger sighed. "You and I both know that Father preferred more if you marry into the family, specifically to me, or find someone who would love you for the rest of your life other than your titles and wealth."

"So, what does it have to do with anything?"

"The ones who are against this wanted you to marry someone royalty. Someone that could bring great alliance with our kingdom. Seeing that I'm none of them, it's far better to remove me rather than wait for me to die."

"You've got to be kidding!"

The younger of the two shook her head. "No, I'm not. They say that if you marry me, if ever you did, the balance of Ma'at will tilt because you're marrying someone regardless with the fact that I'm your sister and because the people treat me like the curse I am, it is unwise for you to marry me and so you'll be stuck marrying whoever they chose for you."

Atem shook his head. "You're not a curse."

"Thank you for the vote of assurance." she told him as she offered him a thin smile. "But I'm afraid that I have to get you out of my room very informally." and helped him up as pushed him out the door.

"Wait! We haven't even gotten into a serious conversation yet!"

"That could wait until morning," she told him with a final push had him outside in the hallway. "And one piece of advice."

"What?"

"Don't ever show your real feelings, brother," she told him sadly. "There are enemies lurking in the walls and they might use this an opportunity to do more damage than you could heal the pain in me. So, good night and may you live happily ever after with your wife. Assuming that you find one." she added with a wink and smiled at him once more. "I had a good talk with you brother, eventhough it is brief, but then again, I appreciate that you would look after me so much."

Atem was about to protest again when she closed the door on his face. He sighed as he thought of what was a good plan was usurped by his own sister. There are some things that he wanted to know about her but it seems to him that the older she gets the more secretive she becomes.

But he wasn't still satisfied. He would try to talk to her again tomorrow even if she avoided him or avoided voicing out her thoughts.

If she just knew that someone would listen, then this wouldn't be so bad. One thing's on his mind.

Who's plotting to kill his sister? And did his father know who they are?

May: Finally! A new update!

Ryou: Thank Ra! I thought you have already forgotten us!

May: Not forgotten. I was very busy that's why I can't update often.

Ryou: So, will you be updating then?

May: I'm not quite sure but I'll try.