Yu-Gi-Oh: A Past and Future Pharaoh
Written By: Lady Lunar Phoenix
Beta By: Lady Lunar Phoenix
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There had been a time when Mahaado's room held shelves with toys for the prince, small wooden animals and other figures neatly resting for when the prince came. Now those self same shelves held different toys, and a cloth doll that rested flomped against the wall. Knowing that the Princes' taste in toys had matured at all was almost jarring to Set. As well as the signs that Mana was following in the Princes' foot steps.
It left Set faintly curious about the things he had missed in these few seasons that he had been gone. Testing had taken longer than he had anticipated and now after so long he was allowed to sit in Maha's room and watch the mage in training get dressed. He had seen Mahaado in various states of undress, formal attire, and casual attire, but this was something that blew his heart into multiple pieces. When Mahaado had said that he wore girls clothes when he traveled out of the royal city, Set didn't believe him fully. In those early days; he actually kind of imagined Mahaado looking like a boy 'trying' to look like a girl and failing.
Foundation was used to adjust the bone structure, adding shade and shadow with Set getting increasingly uncomfortable with how 'good' Mahaado was at this. Girls had their own style and personalities and the High Magician was outright abusive towards Mahaado. The guy wasn't allowed to be comfortable in his own skin, he was taught how to live in both genders simply, again, to be a defense for the prince.
Honestly Mahaado was just never allowed to be his own person was he?
But now he was starting to show that he was going to have a more muscular build, he wasn't slight or slender in bone structure and the make up could only do so much. Mahaado's staff lessons were giving him an increased muscle tone, he was looking more masculine the older he got. Though once Mahaado had the lower half of his face covered with the veil, he had lovely enough eyes to make Set forget he was looking at a guy.
"So what happens when you finish growing up and you have absolutely nothing that could convince anyone that you're a young girl?" Set finally asked as Mahaado began fussing more with his hair.
Mahaado looked down unwilling to get into another discussion with Set, he knew how this conversation would end. There just wasn't a way to justify his masters' behavior and thus no reason to even try to reason with Set. Not when Set was right.
"You know I miss when I didn't have to think about these things," Mahaado finally spoke his tone resigned. "There is nothing I can do but tolerate it, all of you are all I have, and if I must do this to stay here..." Mahaado shrugged helplessly.
"Its a shame that Asim doesn't live in the Palace proper either, I think between he and I, we could get your master to back off." Set replied almost sulkish in his tone when he noticed Mahaado looking at him.
"Speaking of Asim, I saw that he bested you in five separate rounds," Mahaado replied casually as he finished covering his hair.
"What? Who told you that lie?" Set sat up straight in protest, his hands clenching the arm rests of his seat.
"I told you, I 'saw' you, I was working on my scrying spells and the Prince was with me as was Mana so I watched you instead." Mahaado answered blithely. "You clearly have the sharper mind for strategy, but in terms of swordsman skills you seem to be lacking."
"You want to go a few rounds? I'll show you who 'seems to be lacking'!" Set challenged in protest as he stood up from his seat in sheer agitation. Only to remember that he was dealing with a magician in training, "with weapons. Not your magic!"
"So long as I can use my staff and you can wait until after our trip then fine," Mahaado answered with a faint disinterested shrug. Set's disdain for being inferior in 'anything' was a fun thing to exploit it seemed, the mage just loved pushing that particular switch into place all the time.
Especially when Set was bugging him about his master, tit for tat apparently.
"Oh and while you were gone, the prince made yet another new friend," Mahaado casually added as he got up and smoothed out his robes.
"Another one? What is he doing to make all these friends? Running people through the palace like parading a line studs before an in heat mare?" Set asked in amazement trying to figure out how a prince kept in the palace all the time could make so many friends.
"Well, this new friend is dead..." Mahaado explained, well that was all he said, while Set raised an eyebrow.
"Go on, you can't just stop there," Set pointed out as Mahaado nodded as though realizing the truth to that. After all was Set even going to bother finding out on his own?
"A group of bandits kidnapped a villages' children and one belonged to a soldier who often serves under High Priest Shimon. The bandits killed the children and the High Priest sealed all the children into tablets in an effort to save their souls. Seems there was some seriously evil magic going on that put the souls of those children in danger." Mahaado explained as he adjusted his posture to something more feminine. "The new friend is one of those souls."
"But I thought children his age couldn't summon Ka from a tablet?" Set asked trying to remember in any of his classes if it had been done before.
"Normally yes, but I guess it just proves his connection to the Gods. The Ka in question is that of a child true, young and innocent like the Prince. But yes, he can call forth the children that were sealed into the tablets on his own." Mahaado explained thoughtfully though his lips twisted into a slight smile. "Though this friend is of the fluffy assortment of Ka beasts now."
"I'm sorry. 'Fluffy'?" Set asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes, you'll see them soon enough, the Prince has been happily summoning them when he gets a chance now." Mahaado informed Set as he walked out of his room, Set getting up and following suit. Now that Mahaado was dressed the pair could collect the Prince and go about getting with the rest of the procession.
"These tablets you speak of, they're in the palace correct? So are those tablets the reason for this trip to the Temple of Tablets?" Set inquired thinking back on why he was allowed to return to the palace so suddenly.
"Yes, there has been unrest from the city that bandits had taken the lives and defiled the souls of those children denying them the Field of Reeds. Thus these Tablets are to be cleansed by the Pharaoh directly and placed in the Temple." Mahaado elaborated as they walked down the hall towards the Princes' own rooms. Thankful that the Prince was now at the age where he didn't have the absolute clutching dependency on Mahaado, while at the same time not required yet to be fully in state robes.
Because getting him in anything could sometimes be nigh near impossible. Getting him 'out' of everything on the other hand was way easier.
And unwelcomed for certain ceremonies.
The Princes' room was still as large and full of toys, though there were a few more toys that appeared to be new. More for the Prince who had reached four summers in age with a little added complexity. Said prince was standing in front of a large woven basket, pulling on one of its rings with all his might and only making slow incremental sliding progress.
"Lord Prince?" Mahaado inquired as he walked towards the child with Set close behind when he saw something light brown and fuzzy sticking out from the other side of the basket.
"I want to bring my toys!" The prince announced patting the basket firmly, all the while Set moved forward until he found what was there.
And what was 'there' was a large brown hairball with yellow eyes, green limbs with stubby green fingers. It had its tiny hands pressed against the basket and was pushing along with what might it had, its tiny feet sliding against the ground. "Ok Gods, one of you take this prayer. What in the Gods name?!"
"My friend, I call him 'Kuri'" The prince explained before he began pulling on the basket again.
"Aren't you a little old to drag your toys with you everywhere?" Set asked looking down at the prince with a raised eyebrow.
"I want my toys or I'm not going," The prince retorted stubbornly.
Set rolled his eyes and reached down to gather up the basket though the prince threw himself onto the basket in a very stubborn manner. Only to suddenly have the basket begin to rise into the air very slowly.
"Very well I have the basket," Mahaado obliged the trio by taking the basket.
The prince dropped down easily with a big smile on his face, as close to a 'thank you' he was ever permitted to really give.
Now that the basket was dealt with the 'Kuri' floated into the air and began investigating Set, with soft purring 'kurrs' coming from some supposed mouth that Set couldn't see. There was no way to tell the true size of the Spirit, the fur was just so fluffy. And compelled by how solid and real the fluffy Spirit appeared, Set reached up to pet it.
After all this time, he had never even 'seen' a Ka Beast but once in the form of that white dragon with the vivid blue eyes. Now, though tiny in comparison, was another such Beast and looking as real and as solid as the rest of them. It even 'felt' real, the fur felt soft and warm to the touch.
The Spirit's eyes closed as though smiling, its paws waving cheerfully in an excited manner before rushing into him, as though hugging him. When a part of his mind reminded him that this was the spirit of a 'child', leaving him cold at how old this child might have been before being killed. The hug felt too much like Mana's hugs, small in stature and big in affection.
"You can see Kuri! Neat!" the prince broke into Set's thoughts, confusing him slightly as he looked down at said prince.
"I haven't told him I taught you a bit of magic," Mahaado explained at Set's confused expression.
An expression that darkened at the comment while he fixed his eyes on the magician, "that wasn't 'being taught a bit of magic'. You outright gutted yourself in front of me!" Set hissed at Mahaado in annoyance, even now that day was still fresh in his mind and the horror of it.
"You wouldn't cast any other way," Mahaado replied as casually indifferent to Set's blatant outrage.
"Seth knows magic? Why won't you teach me, Maha! I wanna learn magic!" The prince butted into the conversation, causing the magician to turn his attention back to the prince. Freeing Set to glare at the Magician all the more.
"Lord Prince will learn the magics required of his station, those are far more important than what I know." Mahaado pointed out patiently with while the prince began to bounce up and down in protest.
"Not true! Maha has been making new spells too! Maha is the best magician in all the lands! Everyone says so!" The prince protested hotly his gold bracelets jingling in response to his bouncing.
Set watched as Mahaado continued to try to calm the Prince down in his protest about learning magic. While Set stood there stoically stroking his fingers through the Kuri's fur. Quietly seething at the reminder that Mahaado knew no limits to his actions, and would take extremes far beyond what Set could handle.
Leaving him walking along side the floating basket as they reached the door, before the Kuri fell back and swooped down to float near the Prince again. He was actually starting to miss hanging around Asim, simply because the guy was so balanced of heart. How could someone like Heisheen ever become a High Priest to serve the Pharaoh when his own heart was so dark? Breaking someone 'this' far was beyond detestable to Set.
And yet there was the pair just walking along like everything was perfectly normal. Perhaps there 'was' a reason why such evil people could kidnap those innocent children and kill them. Maybe it was because there was an evil link to the circle of Priests who were supposed to support their Pharaoh. Regardless just the memory of seeing Mahaado nonchalantly take a blade and tear out his own stomach to make Set heal him gave Set nightmares.
'Mommy and daddy had a fight' indeed.
The Kuri was hitching a ride on the princes' head while the small procession made its way to the main hall where the official procession would begin. Even as they got close, Set could see the priests in the formal robes waiting in the wings. In the grand hall stood the towering tablets that carried the souls of children souls. The trio was approaching the tablets from behind, but even so the wails of parents could be heard. Even in the Palace the grief could not be contained for the dignity of the Pharaoh or the Gods. Their childs' Ka's sealed in a last ditched attempt to save them from the clutches of evil, but they were still children.
Set watched as he took up the space behind the prince, his eyes scanning the room to make sure there was no one would would attack the prince. Until they reached the foot of the dais with the Pharaoh's throne resting at the top. Once there he turned to face the room and the anguish of the parents became present. Mothers and fathers weeping and wailing as they pressed their hands against the tablets crying for their babies.
Even as Kuri flew forward towards a particular tablet and tried to comfort their own parents Set felt this ugly pit in his stomach at the fate of these kids. They could have been the princes' age or younger by the images on the stone. Watching the poor furball become increasingly distressed as their parents inability to notice them 'hurt'. Suddenly the Kuri began fighting, as though being sucked into the tablet and the pain only got worse.
Kuri didn't seem to understand no one in the room could see it, that for the parents to see it, it 'had' to return to the stone. By the time it was in the stone again, the stone molded itself to reflect the little Kuri's image on its smooth surface. Among the audience there were sounds of awe at the presence of the stones, but for the parents it was a sign of their child. It was so hard to stay stoic and watch any of this.
It was also hard to see High Magician Heisheen and not want to punch his face in. But one thing at a time.
"My people, today is a day of mourning, these young children taken from us by the vile hands of those who would shun the love of Ra. Who sought to throw off the ever fragile balance of Ma'at with such desecration. Who would cast chaos upon this holy city with their evil deeds, let the records be stripped of their names! And let those innocent souls, though sealed within these tablets as of this day be taken to the Temple of Tablets, to be protected and ensured their safety. That when the day comes and the final sun sets upon this land. They will still be here for only in the hands of the Gods can they be extracted and taken to the Land of Reeds."
The Pharaoh had an imposing, powerful voice, it was the type of voice that could silence the whole room, and did, in an instant. Commanding attention while not even having to leave his throne, while he was flanked by High Priest Shimon and Heisheen. The serving girls who normally fanned him were moved back and down, their own heads down in respect for the situation. While the priests went about loading up each of the tablets. Not an easy task when one had to move a tablet upright, laying these down would be horribly disrespectful now that they had the sealed souls of children in them of.
The priests were chanting prayers to Hathor, Isis, pleas to Nekhbet to spread her protective wings over the tablets of the dead children. While Anubis was called upon to show compassion to these children so that they wouldn't be forgotten now that they were sealed. Beseeching the Goddesses to remember these children and the God to hold a place for these children. Now denied the chance to go before them personally until the end of time. So on that final day, they could be reunited with their families.
But as the Priests began to read the names of the families that had lost their children, a list that seemingly had no end. It struck Set at the sheer magnitude of the death brought about.