Apep and the Sacred Scrolls of Duat

Chapter 9: A Divine, All Powerful Pharaoh is Still Human

That night, the Egyptian sky was illuminated with brightly shining stars and Teà stared up at them in awe. She'd never seen such a stunning sky filled with so many stars and such a glowing moon. The court yard was lit with torches, casting a yellowish glow over the polished stone and the pools of water reflected a beautiful mix of colours from the silver moon and the yellow flames.

Apart from a few, ever present palace guards, Teà was alone, or so she thought.

"Teà?" the Pharaoh spoke and she turned around, surprised. "Are you alright?" he asked, walking over to her. He was, as always, covered from head to toe in gold adornments even so late at night. Though he was without his cape and wore nothing save for his usual kilt with a golden belt and his shoes.

"Y...yeah, I'm fine...just can't sleep," she said, blushing a little and doing her very best not to stare at his naked chest where the millennium puzzle hung along with the silver cartouche necklace she had given him. "I err...Mana said this is the best place to see the stars...she found me wandering round, I mean, and I didn't wanna wake Serenity...And Mana said she'd be back, she just went to get me some kind of tea she said would help me sleep, and...Anyway, I couldn't sleep," she stopped, well aware that she was babbling.

"Nor could I," he said, smiling at her a little. "I left my rooms without alerting the guards and spoke at length to Mahad and Shada. Promise me that you won't tell Shimon; he worries so," he added, jokingly.

"S...sure," Teà nodded, "Secret's safe with me."

He gave her an amused grin and then turned his eyes towards the sky. "Mana is right. This is the best place in the palace to see the stars...however, I know a better view," he said looking across at her again. "Would you like to see?" he asked.

"Mmmm," Teà nodded.

He led her through the empty courtyard, through the palace and beneath some stone archways, up a few flights of intricately carved stone stairways and onto another vast courtyard. This one at the top of the palace.

"Wow!" she breathed, looking out at the vast landscape. It wasn't at all what one would expect of Egypt.

It was a lush, fertile land full of palm trees and green grass and the great river Nile flowed straight through it. The silver light from the moon and stars reflected from the water and cast the entire city in its awe-inspiring light. The city itself was a busy cluster of buildings with roads and pathways between them and people were walking the streets even now as they stared down. They could hear the sounds of people working, of dogs barking, of the strange noises of the hippopotami in the water and the wind rustling through the plants.

"I find this a much better view," the Pharaoh remarked.

"It's incredible. You can see for miles up here," she marvelled.

"The city is full of life, even at night," he said, "I find coming here a great comfort. It reminds me that life goes on, no matter what form it takes," he explained and watched as people walked about in the city below.

"I can even see the river," Teà breathed.

"Yes. We call it Aur," he said, "For the black soils it leaves after the floods. It's what made this country such a paradise. Egypt would not be possible without the river."

"Aur?" she repeated the foreign word.

"Yes," he nodded, smiling.

"It's beautiful," Teà remarked.

"It always was," he said. "I used to envy the fishermen," he chuckled. "I told my father once that I wanted to be one so that I could spend my life on the river instead of at court. Naturally, he had no choice but to dissuade me and he gifted be...or I should say, bribed me, by giving me a boat."

"He gave you a boat?" Teà said in a dry voice, blinking at him.

"He gave me a boat," he repeated her again. "I was six," he added, "And it was more of a yacht, I suppose."

"Huh."

"I was a Prince, the only Prince," he explained. "I was relieved that at least the river looks the same as I remembered, even here," he admitted.

"We're still the same," Teà replied, "All of us, we're still here for you and we always will be. No matter where we all are."

"And I'm grateful for that. Truly, I am."

"I've never seen this many stars before. You don't really get to see them back home much," she remarked after a moment.

"A pity," Atemu furrowed his brow and looked up.

It was an otherworldly sky, particularly to Teà who had never seen anything like it having lived in a modern, illuminated city for her entire life.

"Long ago, before even I was born," he said, mockingly and she scoffed. "My people used to say that the souls of the Pharaohs' who came before, live on in the stars. They were called 'The Imperishable Ones.' That's why they shine so bright, or so the stories said. Our ancestors watch over us and keep us safe in the darkness of night...even in the land of the dead."

"That's..." she paused and tilted her head, staring serenely at the stars. "Really nice," she finished, honestly.

"Yes," Atemu said, "I always thought so too."

"So...does that mean...back home, if we look at the stars, you'd be up there?"

"I hope so," he said, "It's a comforting belief."

"We missed you back home," she admitted.

"And I missed all of you," he told her. "I thought of you all often. Admittedly I even disregarded a few rules to keep watch over you. I don't know if it means that I joined the 'Imperishable Ones' as a star, and I cannot do it for long, but I tried. I needed to know that you were safe."

"You...watched over us?"

"I didn't see much," he assured her. "Just glimpses, really. But it was enough. It's quite taxing, and I'm aware I shouldn't have done it."

"We never...saw you. Should we've been able to?" she asked, saddened.

"I wouldn't have thought so. When I stood by your sides as a spirit trapped in the Puzzle, I was never seen by anyone except Yugi and then only because he wore it."

"Oh," Teà sighed. "I guess that makes sense, but..." she trailed off.

"I know," Atemu said, quietly.

For a moment they said nothing, there was nothing further to say to that. It was a tragedy that he'd left just as he'd finally learned who he really was but that was the way it had to be. He could never stay in their time, after all he was long dead and to ask him to remain a disembodied spirit, for we bound to the Millennium puzzle was something they just couldn't do.

"I never got to ask you," she began, suddenly. At her happy, enthusiastic tone, he turned to look at her. "I...well, we all did a lot of research about Ancient Egypt after...well, we all did. And names always meant something, right? Like they do now. So, what does yours mean?"

"It means...one who emerged from the darkness," the Pharaoh answered and he smiled, knowingly. (*1)

"Really?" she asked in disbelief.

"Yes."

"It's perfect," Teà gave him a smile while he nodded.

"Teà, what..." he began to ask but stopped and looked, stunned, down at the courtyard. "Is that...Rebecca...and Yugi?" Atemu said with raised eyebrow. "What could they possibly be doing out at such an hour? Ah...I see," he broke off suddenly with a small smile.

Rebecca had taken hold of Yugi's hand and leaned close to plant a gentle kiss on his flushed cheek.

"What? Oh," Teà flushed a little when she saw what he was looking at. "Yeah, he asked Rebecca out a few months ago. Poor guy, he was so nervous we thought he'd pass out or something," she said, smiling.

"I'm sorry to have missed it," he smiled at her.

"Joey was actually going to film it," Teà shook her head. "He was hiding in the bushes like some creepy stalker with a camera. I managed to stop him and he's lucky he didn't get arrested or something. Yugi said he owes me for life for stopping Joey. It was embarrassing enough for him without anyone filming it."

The Pharaoh actually let out a throaty chuckle as he stared down at the two young teenagers who were wandering aimlessly in the courtyard while holding hands.

"Are they happy?" he asked after a moment.

"Yeah," she replied. "They are," she assured him.

"Good," Atemu nodded and sat down on the stone floor with one leg bent and his elbow resting on his knee. "They deserve it. I'm glad for them both," he added.

"We all were," Teà said. "Something wrong?" she couldn't help but ask. He suddenly looked so sad it was heartbreaking.

"With this, no, nothing. This is a wonderful thing," he shrugged. "It's just...there's so much I'm going to miss out on in your lives. Nothing here will change, no one here will age. I will be King here until time ends. But all of you...your lives will continue and I will be here."

"I thought...if you'd stayed you'd be stuck in the Millennium Puzzle and..." she said, confused as she sat down beside him.

"I would have been," Atemu said. "I know that I am meant to be here and you are all meant to be there and our paths should never have crossed. But they did. And i am...envious of the lives you will all lead," he admitted quietly, looking away from her.

"Oh," Teà sighed in understanding.

"Forgive me," he said, giving her a smile. "I don't mean to be maudlin. Whatever it is that brought all of you here may have intended evil, but it is an opportunity that we would not have otherwise been granted."

"Right. So, we should make the most of it," she nodded.

"Exactly."

"I dunno if that means trying to flirt with every pretty woman he sees, but I think that's what Duke was doing when I saw him earlier," Teà said, dryly.

"I see," he scoffed.

"And I think Joey and Tristan might eat all the food in your kitchen."

"If they survived Bobassa's appetite, I feel certain that they can withstand anything," he joked.

"If you say so," Teà laughed.

"We shall know tomorrow, I suppose," he shrugged.

"You got any malls here?"

"Sadly, no."

"Shoot."

"Indeed," he laughed.

In the courtyard below, they could see Yugi and Rebecca walking back into the palace, side by side, smiling.

"I do not wish to be rude, but may I ask you a rather frank question?" Atemu said, suddenly, "You needn't answer if you don't wish to."

"Err, sure," she replied, intrigued.

"I'd always thought that Yugi and you..." he began and she nodded in understanding.

"Y'know...he said pretty much the same thing, well, actually he said he always thought you and I...Anyway, we talked about it and it was kinda embarrassing really. He's my best friend and he always will be. He knows I'll always be there for him no matter what. But...not like...like that," she said. "And we were both really, really happy when we finished talking about it," she added.

"I...see..." the Pharaoh furrowed his brow.

"So err...yeah," she said, hugging her arms around her knees and looked at him. He looked pensive beneath his golden bangs and his crown and seemed to be struggling with what to say. "They err...went to Kaiba land for their first date. Mokuba let them ride every ride for free. He's a really great kid. Kaiba actually challenged Yugi to a duel the same day though, I guess we should've known he'd have an ulterior motive. Y'know, Serenity actually said 'hello' to him once, to Kaiba, and he actually said it back. I swear, Joey almost punched him, well he would've if we hadn't held him back. Kaiba's not as bad as he used to be, but he's never gonna be Mr. Sunshine and punching him in the face would really get us all banned from his theme parks, and they're pretty great. The theme parks, I mean, not him," she said. "I've erm...been pretty focused on my dancing and stuff so err...I'm not erm...I mean..." she trailed off, embarrassed.

"I understand," he replied, sounding a lot calmer than she did, and in truth, a lot calmer than he actually felt. "I too, have been preoccupied," he said.

"Right, right...with the erm...the evil snakes and...and err...being Pharaoh and all," she nodded.

"Yes."

"I guess being king doesn't really give you much time to go to amusement parks, huh?"

"Especially given the fact that they have yet to be invented," he said, sarcastically and she snorted.

"We're erm...both pretty busy, then."

"And yet, here we are," he replied.

"Yeah," she said, biting her lip, then she turned away. "Well, no one'll notice if I stay in bed all day tomorrow, but they might notice if you do," she said after a moment.

"I fear I'll be dragged out were I even to attempt such a thing. I'm to rise before dawn for several hours of training with the soldiers before I even begin any court matters on every third day. Tomorrow is that third day. Usually I enjoy it, but lately I find sleep elusive and I lack the energy for such training."

"You're...okay, right? I mean, should you be fighting if you're not? You sorta collapsed before and..."

"I'm fine," he assured her, "It was a headache and it is gone."

"But if you're not...can't you just give them an I.O.U?"

"I doubt it," he smirked.

"Make a new law, one that says the king gets to sleep in if he says so," she smiled.

"I have far too much to do to 'sleep in'. But it is late," he said, standing up. He held out a hand for her, seemingly without thinking about it. "You should at least attempt to rest," he said, "As should I."

Teà reached out and placed her pale hand in his tanned one and was gently lifted to her feet. "Thanks," she managed to whisper.

"The palace is a maze even in daylight. I shall escort you back to your rooms if you wish," he said.

He hadn't yet let go of her hand and she started to turn her index finger around one of his gold rings which was adorned with jewels. She didn't seem in any hurry to let go, either.

Teà nodded, silently and he led her back into the palace and through the corridors. They passed a few silent guards along the way but neither one of them chose to separate their joined hands. Every time he so much as glanced at a guard, they instantly averted their eyes.

When he came to a stop outside her room, the guards left with a bow and the two of them stood in silence for a moment.

Finally, she let go of his hand and stared into his eyes. "Good night...Atemu," she said.

"Sleep well, Teà," he replied and waited until she was safely behind the door to the quarters she was sharing with Serenity before he turned away.

"You should both have been 'sleeping well', many hours ago," a voice spoke from behind him.

The Pharaoh spun around quickly and the Millennium puzzle glowed a bright gold, ready to protect him. He brought out a hand to lash out at whatever threat was there only to see his mother walking towards him in the gentle glow of the lamp light.

"Mother," he let out a sigh of relief, the golden glow from the Millennium Puzzle ceased at once and he lowered his hand. "These are troubled times, please, do not surprise me thus," he breathed.

"On my nightly stroll, I find my son escorting a young woman to her rooms by the hand, I think it is I that is most surprised," she replied, with a small smile.

"She does not know her way around, I was simply ensuring that she did not loose her way."

"A thoughtful gesture, I'm sure."

"We were simply talking," he said.

"And so will the people. You have spurned all thoughts of marriage before..."

"We were talking, mother," he flushed and looked around, thankful that they were alone. "I hardly think that grounds for discussions of marriage," he added, quietly.

"To all but a select few here, this is life, my son and you are well past marrying age. You must know that seeing the King alone with a woman is grounds for gossip, especially when that King is unmarried and childless."

"Seto is my heir. We declared this, publicly, there is no grounds for gossip when it comes to the succession."

"That will deter nothing," she declared.

"I happened to see her in the courtyard. She could not sleep which is understandable given her predicament. And I hardly ever find sleep easy when there is work to do, you know this. We met by chance," he defended and his mother smiled at him.

"I do know that and I believe you," she said. "However, I also believe her to be a very beautiful young woman whose eyes you happened to notice," she added.

"Mother," Atemu sighed.

"Very well, I shall say nothing further of her beauty or of her fine blue eyes," she said, sarcastically and he nodded, gratefully and a little flushed. "I simply find it fascinating that you have paid very little attention to the eyes of any other young woman whenever the possibility of marriage was previously discussed."

"Perhaps I simply did not wish to be married," he retorted.

"You are Pharaoh. You must have a Queen."

"I became King rather...unexpectedly. There was little time to consider it," he said, remembering his father's death. It had shocked and grieved the nation. King Aknankanon had been fairly young and his death had been very unexpected.

"Your father and I did consider it," she remarked.

"You did? When?" he asked, stunned.

"Many times. You were young, I believe you had just turned five years and the court was considering an alliance with a princess from the Hittite empire. We were enemies and a marriage is usually used in such circumstances to broker peace. We were both uneasy about it, but such is our tradition. However, something happened which made us reconsider."

"And what was that?"

"You wandered into the stone sanctuaries and the creatures of darkness appeared to you, repeatedly. Yes, we knew and it was unheard of. We had the Priests gaze into your soul for answers while you slept to discover if you were marked for danger and instead...they found the gods. They saw the Firey Dragon of Ra burning with fury and he expelled the Priests from your soul. A god protected you, my son, even as a child," she said, standing close enough to cup the side of his face with her hand.

"I have no memory of that," he confessed, looking up into eyes which were so very like his own.

"You were asleep. You would have no such memory of it. We had no wish to frighten you," she replied. "Eventually we decided that inviting a foreign presence into the country before you could learn of your gifts or even learn to control them, would not be wise. They could have taken advantage of this and harmed you or attempted to manipulate you. Neither your father nor I would allow harm to come to you if we could prevent it. So, we spurned all thought of a foreign alliance, at least until you had grown and by then, you had no wish to be trapped in a loveless marriage after witnessing one that was quite the opposite."

"Was that wrong of me?" he asked her, sounding almost desperate. "In my time at court, I have seen enough marriages based on personal advantage to know that I do not wish for such a thing. I have seen very few times in which either party is treated with respect."

"You could have easily had mistresses. You are not a child," she said.

"I am aware. However, I simply wanted what you and father had. I did not want to be then, and I do not want to be now, married off to a woman, or women, that I have never met; to be sold at auction like a sow at a market to the highest bidder to secure an alliance or a dowery or a political advantage. Neither do I have the desire to accept 'wives' as gifts or bribes. I have tried to be a fair and just king in all I have done and taking a woman as gift, as a mere possession, would not sit well with my conscience." (*2)

"And what of this woman?" Meskhenet asked, intrigued, her eyes flicking over the door. "She is neither a 'bribe' nor a 'gift' and does not, in my opinion, seem at all opposed to be in your company."

"She is a dear friend and I owe her a great deal. Furthermore, she is quite remarkable and is not to be the subject of gossip or ridicule," he replied in a tone which left no room for argument.

"I see. Come," she suddenly said and gently placed her arm around his shoulders. "This is no discussion for the palace corridors. Come with me, my son," she said and led him to her own quarters.

Unbeknown to the both of them, Teà and Serenity had been listening to every word and they strained to hear their receding footsteps.

"I think that means maybe he likes you," Serenity turned to her friend after they could hear nothing further.

"All I think it means, is being royal sounds horrible," she replied.

"Maybe," Serenity said and hugged her.

Relaxing in the sumptuous rooms of former Queen Meskhenet, Atemu sat and sighed as his mother continued their conversation.

"Your father and I were lucky," she said, wistfully. "We knew each other before we were married and we were already deeply in love. Both of us were of royal blood and the match was a political success. However, ours was the exception to almost every other royal marriage in our history in that we loved each other. That of course can form after but very rarely. Love is not an emotion on which to base your actions when you are King," she said.

He sighed and turned away but she continued.

"But such things are rarely so easy to dismiss, I know," she said. "As a king, you have the luxury of knowing that the dynasty does not fall solely on you to provide an heir but also that it reflects poorly on you, if you do not. However, as my son, I have never before seen you so much as glance at a woman as I saw you gaze at her. I may not know all that she is, but I do know you. She must be a truly remarkable woman, as you say, and all I would wish for, is that you are happy. Know that there is a voice in me that would help you in this, in whatever way I could. But the voice of reason bids me to tell you, that even without Isis' remarkable gifts, all I can see ahead for you is heartbreak should this be the path you choose. She will return to her world and you will remain here."

"...I know," he said.

"They could return on the morrow. They could simply vanish and we would not even be there to witness it. We did not witness their arrival, after all."

"I know," he repeated, a little more forcefully.

"Then what will you do?"

"Truthfully I did not think it would have been an issue at all, but tonight I learned otherwise," he added, remembering his earlier conversation with Teà about Yugi and Rebecca.

"How so?" his mother asked.

"I had no memory of my life when I met them so such things hardly seemed important. I shared a mind with Yugi as you already know. He knew not how to hide his emotions from me and when he knew me better, I doubt that he even tried. I had thought that he...had a certain fondness for Teà. However, she informed me that they have since discussed such matters and he is courting Rebecca."

"Is this a relief to discover?"

"...I...perhaps..." he admitted.

"Is Teà courting?"

"She...implied not."

"Then your solution is a simple one. You are close to Yugi. Ask him for confirmation and court this young woman if that is what you wish," she shrugged, elegantly.

"Weren't you attempting to dissuade me from this course?" he asked, dryly.

"Then do nothing," she replied in the same tone.

"Not helpful, mother."

"Love will out, my child, regardless of logic or reason. I do not wish sorrow for you, but I cannot control your heart. Not even you can do that."

"I do not recall mentioning the word 'love'," he said, a little petulantly.

"Perhaps you did not need to. I am your mother," she reasoned.

"No," he declared and stood up, quickly. "She is in danger every second she is here. They all are. How can I even consider this when I should be sending them home." He walked over to the balcony and gripped at the stone banister with his fingers. "I'm a fool," he muttered, lowering his head.

"If such knowledge of how to return them to their world exists, we have yet to discover it," Meskhenet said, calmly and took slow strides over to him. "It is not for lack of trying that they remain stranded here. The fact remains that they are, and, as yet, there is nothing to be done about it. Furthermore," she continued kindly, "All those who love are fools. Do not be too harsh upon yourself...So...what will you do?"

"...I will rest," he said after a moment with a heavy heart. "It is late and I am tired. Good night, mother," he said and left her alone by the balcony.

(*1) according to NameDoctor, the name Atemu means 'completion, complete or finish, complete one.' I guess that fits with the theme of him and a Yugi learning from each other. But then there's also the God Atum who was was a self-created deity, the first being to emerge from the darkness and endless watery abyss that girdled the world before creation and I guess that fits with him being someone who uses shadow magic and gets called 'Yami Yugi.

(*2) Pharaohs' generally had more than one wife and many mistresses. We don't really see any of this in the anime or manga and I'm already messing with history here.