Silmeria: Hello! Welcome to War of the Lions! A new Yu-gi-oh story that has been sitting on my computer for a long time, but I hope you enjoy it.

Disclaimer: I claim no rights to Yugioh!

Chapter One: Yuugi Motou: Wrathful Blade of the Black Lions

"Lord Commander-" Anzu Mazaki lowered her gaze to the wet ground embarrassed that the words had gotten stuck in her throat, but she forced herself to continue. "You don't need to stay with us." Anzu took a moment to re-familiarize herself with their surroundings. The battle had been won and the remaining soldiers had put been to death once any useful information had been extracted before they were burned and their ashes scattered. It was an inhumane tactic but her enemies had done far worse in the grand scheme of it all. She had borne witness to her own men being burned alive and executed as if they were mere pigs to the slaughter. She watched as her men's heads were sliced off and placed on pikes to be set as an example that the White Lions of Aldeon were not to be crossed. There wasn't a night that passed that she longed for revenge and there wasn't a night where she didn't mourn for the loss of life. It made it no easier to bear when she realizes that it would be a danger to the men who were still alive if she sent the bodies back to Solaria for a proper burial.

She couldn't afford to leave a trail for Aldeon and it sickened her that she had to bury her precious men in mass graves to be dug up by grave robbers who would steal their weapons and armor and sell them for gold. The thought of those cowardly men stealing what could be taken to the afterlife sent a rush of shame down her spine. She would be better and protect her men or die trying.

"I don't mind." Yuugi's soft voice brought Anzu back to reality. "I fought with these men and I'll see to their burials. After all, what kind of commander would I be if I didn't?"

"Right." Anzu pushed down the rush of pride she felt towards Yuugi and directed them towards the large mass graves and the priest who had his head bowed in deep prayer. "I am sure that our men would like to hear from you." Anzu almost turned on her heel when Yuugi's soft voice brought her back.

"Yes?"

"How many did we lose?" Yuugi took in the surroundings with a grim frown. They had set up a sparse camp so that the remaining soldiers and mages could rest before their march resumed in the morning. The only light provided was from the mages who stood by the mass graves as they were dug and even from their distance, Yuugi could see the exhausted but brave face the mages put on and under normal circumstances, it would have made him proud, but Yuugi wanted nothing more than to drop to his knees and beg for forgiveness.

It was his family's fault that all of these lives were being wasted on a non-sensical war that no one remembered the reason behind. It was his family's fault that these people had no choice but to join the war or starve on the streets or become common thieves and die an undignified death at the hands of a knight. This entire war was nothing but a fool's errand and Yuugi wanted nothing more than to relieve his soldiers of their duty in a foolish effort to save their lives. But, even he knew that was a fool's errand. He knew that a number of his men remained due to their loyalty to the Black Lions of Solaria and that a number of them were nobles who flew under his grandfather's flag.

Yuugi knew a number of men joined to provide for their families back home and to go back would be a death sentence. So, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and lead on, hoping to prevent as many casualties as he could.

"Three hundred," Anzu responded stopping as the priest tied off his prayers and bowed in Yuugi's direction before moving towards the next set of graves. "I'll have to send a number of messenger birds back to the capital once we arrive at the next base."

"You will let me read the letters before you do?" Yuugi wanted to know the names of each of the soldiers he lost and add a special message to each of the letters so the families would know that these people weren't just cannon fodder. His soldiers were living, breathing people who had dreams and aspirations just as he did once upon a time and he didn't want them to vanish as if they meant nothing at all.

"Of course," Anzu murmured knowing that Yuugi felt sympathetic towards the families of the fallen. She did too, of course, but she knew that as a soldier and a commander herself that people died in the war, and sending a comforting letter did next to nothing for the grieving families who were left destitute. War left nothing but widows and orphans and Anzu had to hold her tongue in front of Yuugi who, despite seeing a great deal of bloodshed, was still naive to the thought that the war could be brought to a peaceful conclusion. Did he not realize that this war would end with his or his grandfather's head on a pike?

A death in exchange for peace was the true price of war and no one could convince Anzu otherwise.

"We are grateful for the help, Lord Commander." Anzu picked up a shovel and urged Yuugi to do the same. "It will be good for the soldiers to see that their commander is not above burying and burning their own."

"And I am grateful that I am able to lead proud soldiers who are not afraid to mourn the loss of their own." Yuugi joined her and finished piling dirt on the last grave before patting it down. "I know that morale is low but I hope the small reprieve at the next base will provide a time to clear their minds."

"Our men are strong of mind and body." Anzu was quick to defend. Her men had gone through too much for Yuugi to disregard their strength. "I will not dismiss the reprieve but please don't think they aren't strong enough to march when it is needed."

"Oh?" Yuugi leaned against his shovel and pulled his lips into a small smile. "You think you know our men better than I?"

Anzu, realizing her misstep, shook her head, a flush dusting her cheeks. "No. No, Lord Commander-"

"It's quite alright, Anzu." Yuugi brushed aside her apologies. "I'm teasing. I'm teasing but I will agree that they have come a long way from when we started out. Remember? Grandfather sent us out when they had just finished training and their swords were as pure as sunlight."

"I'm surprised they survived their first battle," Anzu admitted softly, recalling that it had been against Ark Knight Firimar. It was a miracle that they had escaped with their lives. He wasn't known to lose a battle and if it wasn't for Yuugi, the ones who managed to escape would have lost their lives in the process. It was an amazing feat to her that Yuugi, who was still new to battle himself, had managed to fend off the Ark Knight and create an opening for them to retreat. It was a stinging loss that Yuugi later admitted he took with pride.

His Grandfather, on the other hand, wasn't so happy about it.

"He almost called you back home after the battle with the Ark Knight." Anzu struggled to hold in her smile at Yuugi's huff. "He might not be the best parental figure but he cares for you."

"Grandfather cares about our reputation and winning the war." Yuugi corrected swiftly. "I...thought that he would seek revenge for the mass poisoning at Ft. Ragnarok, but he has mentioned nothing of it."

"I am sure not a day goes by where he doesn't think about his son and daughter." Anzu placed a hand on Yuugi's forearm. "Lord Motou is a fierce warrior but no one is immune to the pain of loss. He might not show it, but I am sure that he longs to find the ones behind it and put them to death."

"Why doesn't he-"

"The war has made it difficult to bring the culprit out into the light." Anzu cut in with a grim frown. "This war has made it difficult to trust our own allies. It is a delicate web where even the slightest misstep will lead you down a dark and miserable path where there is no light and little salvation. It is best that you place your trust in your sword and your sword alone."

"Should I not place my trust in you?"

"If you think that it will keep you alive long enough that you see the war to its fruition?" Anzu responded. "Then yes, I ask that you place your trust in me. However, I have no intention of placing my life on the line for yours and I ask that you not place your life on the line for mine."

Yuugi opened his mouth to protest. "Is that what comrades do for you one another? I have no problem sacrificing my life for yours and that of my men."

"Do not be so quick to toss your life to the wayside, Lord Commander." Anzu waved a hand towards the mounds of graves. "You see the men that have died today? They entered the battlefield knowing it would be the last day on this realm and yet, I see no commander among them? Do you know where he may have gone?"

"He fled," Yuugi murmured, disgusted at the thought of it all. He went by the name of Lieutenant Haga and a greater coward Yuugi couldn't have thought of in his wildest imagination. The moment the battle went in his direction, Lieutenant Haga fled on his horse leaving his men to slaughter and Anzu gave the displaced men no mercy and dispatched them - a punishment for having a cowardly man as a commanding officer.

"You would do well to remember that not everyone is as honorable as you." Anzu gripped his forearm. "You must remember that there are leaders who would leave their entire armies to die if only to save their lives. There are those in these shadows who would see you dead just because of the name that you bear. The sooner you realize that we are pawns in this war the sooner you will gather the strength to survive." Anzu released his arms giving him a sympathetic look before excusing herself and leaving Yuugi to his thoughts.

As Anzu faded out of earshot, Yuugi let out a shuddering breath and pulled his arms behind his back to hide his shaking hands. He found it odd that he had no trouble taking the life of his enemy but couldn't bear the brunt of his second-in-command harsh words against his ideologies and naivety he didn't realize he was displaying. Did his men realize that? Did they speak about it behind his back and to Anzu? Did they follow him or the gold and not the loyalty?

Yuugi shook his head, stamping out that wretched thought. His soldiers were loyal. Anzu was loyal. He was loyal to them both and he would try his most damn to make sure as many of them survived. He was not the same as Lieutenant Haga and he would rather fall on his sword than abandon his own men to their death.

A sad smile pulled at his lips as he placed the shovel deep into the ground nodding his head towards the priest as he began his last set of prayers. He was a devout man but as the war progressed he grew tired of hearing the prayers of the departed. To him, it meant that he failed the people he commanded and their families, but wasn't that what Anzu was saying? That he was too naive and demanded loyalty when it wasn't returned?

"Lord Motou?" one of the priests called out. "If you would, could you lead our prayer? I'm sure the soldiers would appreciate it."

Yuugi couldn't save them so he had no right to offer prayers, but it was the least he could do, wasn't it?

"Of course."