I Will Protect You...Chapter 19[Yu-Gi-Oh fanfic]

Finally, after another month of preparations, the celebration of the conception of the future pharaoh was ready to begin. My dress was finished, and it looked magnificent. My father and brother were laid to rest at last. Atem had discovered the identities of the nobles who had been abusing Auset and had them imprisoned. Bakura was caught and recaptured (not the same thing, apparently), and there was even a vacancy at a high-security prison several kilometers from the Imperial City. Things were finally starting to turn out right.
---*---*---*---
My thoughts were interrupted by Shimon.
“Your public awaits, my king,” he said. “The citizens of Egypt are quite anxious to pay respect to their future pharaoh.”
I could hear the roar of the crowd chanting, “Pharaoh! Pharaoh! Pharaoh! Pharaoh!”
Atem turned to me and smiled. “Are you ready,” he asked.
I nodded, and we made our way to meet our kingdom once again.
As soon as we came in sight of the people, they immediately fell to their knees in a worshipping bow.
“We’ve prepared a lovely ceremony in your child’s honor, my king,” Shimon went on. “Might I suggest you settle down in your throne and enjoy the festivities?”
“Would that be alright with you, Rhea,” Atem asked me. “I know you don’t like being in front of large crowds.”
“I’ve gotten used to it these past few months,” I replied with a laugh. “But, yes, settling down does sound nice.” Ra knows, with the wedding, the coronation, and the conception all packed into one year, we’ve had more than enough excitement for the both of us.
===++===++===++===
A gong sounded in the throne room as Atem and Rhea entered the throne room. Rhea stopped and stared in wonder. She’d been in the throne room before, but never when it was like this, decorated to perfectly magnify its glory.
“It’s the, uh, big gold chair straight ahead,” Atem whispered to her. She gave a mocking glare, a light punch on the arm, and a bemused grin as they continued forward, with Shimon following close behind.
Atem sat in the throne, and Rhea took her place beside him on the right side of the throne.
“All hail the new Pharaoh and his queen,” Shimon announced. “Exalted rulers of Egypt!”
“This is all so overwhelming,” Rhea whispered. “I can hardly believe this is happening.”
“I know,” Atem replied. “But it’ll be alright. We have each other for support.”
Rhea smiled.
“My pharaoh,” Seto inquired as he bowed beside Atem’s throne, “perhaps we should postpone the celebration.”
He must have misinterpreted what Rhea whispered to me, the young pharaoh thought.
“That won’t be necessary,” Atem assured his friend and colleague. “Please, carry on.”
“Very well.” The priest rose to his feet and strode to the center of the throne room. “The time has come,” he announced, his arms in the air officially. “Let us all welcome His Excellence to the throne of Egypt with the ceremonial Festival of the Pharaohs.”
Rhea leaned down and whispered into Atem’s ear, “Shouldn’t this have been done three months ago when you were crowned?”
“Well, he did say pharaohs, not pharaoh. Perhaps this is the celebration of both me and the child,” Atem guessed.
“Hmm.”
As the professional dancers weaved around the room, one of them broke off from the rest of the group, and made her way to the front until she was directly in front of Atem’s throne. She twirled and swayed her hips with such delicate grace that Atem couldn’t help but stare. That is, until he felt a hand on his right shoulder. He followed the hand up to the arm, and finally his eyes rested on Rhea, who was glaring evilly at the dancer. Once he realized what was going on, he laughed, placing his hand on Rhea’s as a sort of comfort to her. His touch must have snapped her from her daze, as she blinked twice and glanced down at him. She saw his hand on hers and blushed, realizing that she wasn’t fooling him. By the time he turned his attention back to the dancer, she’d already rejoined the others, though she now had a rather displeased look on her face.
///!!!!///!!!!///!!!!///
Bakura’s back ached as he was dragged away from the Imperial City by two guards on horseback. He held a defeated look on his face.
Water, he thought as they continued along. I need water. They’d only been walking for a few hours, but he’d been so mistreated in the prison that his body was severely deprived of even the most basic forms of nourishment.
The shackled thief’s knees buckled, unable to carry his weight any longer.
“Hold on,” one of the guards said irritably. “It seems our little friend has collapsed again.”
“Just my luck,” the other replied. “There’s a grand celebration at the palace, and I get stuck hauling a petty thief to the dungeon.”
Just then, a bright light began to shine from the distance. Curious, the guards squinted against the harsh desert sun to see what was giving off such a light. Suddenly, the distant light turned into a bright, destructive beam, heading straight for the guards. The men cried out as it hit both of their horses, throwing them in opposite directions. As it did so, the light beam just barely grazed the ends of Bakura’s hair, shaving a few millimeters off of his bangs.
The thief slowly got to his feet as cloaked figures on horseback came riding up to him. The one in front dismounted first. They had a red cloak on while the others wore black. The one in red was significantly smaller than the others, with a small frame and narrow shoulders, indicating a female. She silently snapped her fingers, and one of the black-cloaked men dismounted as well. He strolled up to Bakura and unsheathed his sword. Unfazed, Bakura watched as the man brought the blade down heavily, easily breaking the chains as if they were nothing.
“You are free, my lord,” he said.
“I see that.” Finally freed, Bakura turned to the red-cloaked stranger. “You nearly decapitated me with that blast of yours,” he said.
“Forgive me,” she replied, handing the former captive a canteen of water, which he downed in seconds. “But I did not have the energy to duplicate the spell, and I needed to create as little disturbance as possible.” Her accent was almost identical to his.
“Right. Well, let’s get on with it, shall we?” Bakura said. “There’s work to be done, and our window of opportunity is closing as we speak.”
The girl nodded. “Of course,” she said. She then turned to address the figures behind her. “Men, you know what must be done. Let us proceed with the next phase of your Master’s plan.”
The men nodded in unison. “Yes, ma’am,” they replied simultaneously.
Bakura mounted his horse with a wicked grin. Prepare yourself, Pharaoh, he thought, for a new king is about to take the throne.
---*---*---*---
The celebrations continued. About an hour and a half into the festivities, my feet were starting to get tired, but I didn’t want to say anything.
Atem must have sensed my discomfort. “Would you like to sit down with me,” he whispered to me.
“Where would I sit?” I responded.
Atem wordlessly adjusted his posture in his throne.
I felt my face flush a little. “Are you sure that would be alright?” I asked. “I don’t want to seem improper.” I was pretty sure I could recall one of Bato’s lessons that advised specifically against sitting in the Pharaoh’s lap.
“You’re queen now. What should it matter?” Atem replied coolly. “Besides, it might teach that dancer a thing or two.” He grinned, winking at me.
I giggled. I couldn’t help myself. With the ridiculousness of his statement, and my own temptation to actually show that hussy that Atem was mine and mine alone, it was impossible not to laugh.
Still, it was with great reluctance that I took my/his seat. I sat sort of slanted so that no one would get the wrong idea. Atem chuckled a little, casually draping his arm around me as it rested on the armrest of the throne. He used his other hand to take one of mine and kiss it gently.
“Relax,” he said. “This is a celebration. Enjoy yourself. Don’t be so worried about formalities. You can save those for another time. For now, just have fun.”
I smiled, still a little tense, but relieved just the smallest bit that he wouldn’t want me to worry.
As I continued to watch the ceremony take place, I noticed a shadow moving out of the corner of my eye. I happened to glance up, but saw nothing.
Probably just my imagination, I thought.
You have been a little on edge lately, Kuriboh noted.
Yeah… I thought back. I’ve just been feeling so strange lately. And not because of the baby. I just feel like something bad is about to happen.
Have you had any nightmares recently?
No. That’s the strangest part. It’s like, now that this dark foreshadowing feeling has rooted itself in the pit of my stomach, my mind no longer feels the need to warn be about what’s going to happen.
My thoughts were interrupted by Isis’s gasp, “Mahad, quick!”
I looked up at the spot I’d previously thought was empty. A man, holding a blowgun to his lips, took a deep breath and fired. Quick-thinking Mahad thrust his cloak open to block the dart’s path. But what he hadn’t anticipated on was the man firing a second dart over his shoulder; its path leading directly between Atem’s eyes.
I flew to my feet. “No!”
Before I could even think, Kuriboh was bursting out of me, blocking the shot. The dart pierced the poor creature’s back, and he and I cried out in pain.
“Rhea!!” Atem cried as I fell to my knees. Everyone in the throne room gasped as they watched the scene unfold. Then, as they had that first day, they ran screaming, hiding themselves in an effort to avoid being hit.
The dart had to have been poisoned. Of that, I was sure. And, judging by the searing pain that was coursing through my body, it was of equal caliber to the one that had been used the day I’d met Atem—if it wasn’t the same one exactly.
Atem lunged for Kuriboh, racing over to him and pulling the dart from his body. As expected, the pain in my own body began to subside.
“Guards,” Seto ordered. “Stop that intruder now! He is getting away.”
“Are you alright?” Atem asked me as he helped me to my feet.
I nodded. “Yes, I’m fine. Are you hurt?”
“Not at all, thanks to you and Mahad.”
I smiled.
The guards seized the interloper.
“Bring this scoundrel before the pharaoh,” Seto commanded.
Instinctively, Atem wrapped his arm around me, pulling me closer as he glared at the man before him.
“Assaulting the king of Egypt is an inexcusable crime,” Isis raged. I’d never seen her so angry before. She was always so level-headed.
“We are in the midst of a sacred ceremony,” Mahad added sternly. “Cast this man into the dungeon—”
“Wait. Not yet.”
Everyone turned to Seto, who was sneering rather eerily. “I have a better idea. Let us use this new rogue to demonstrate to the royal family the extent of our power. Don’t you agree, Master Aknadin? Master Shimon?”
Aknadin nodded silently.
“Their power?” I muttered, looking to Atem. He just glanced at me and shrugged. Apparently, he’d never seen this supposed “power” either. Nonetheless, he guided me back to the throne, and we both returned to our seats.
“Very well,” Shimon determined. “So let it be written. So let it be done.”
“What do you think they’re going to do?” I whispered to Atem.
“I’m not sure,” he answered. “But I think it might have something to do with the Millennium Items.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Well, they’re not just for show. They hold a deep, ancient power, or so I’ve been told.”
“You’ve never seen it for yourself?”
Atem shook his head. “Father would never let me see it. He said I wasn’t ready.”
“Do you think you’re ready now?”
“Does it really matter? They’re going to do it anyway.”
“True.”
“Let’s just watch, and see what happens.”
Shimon interrupted our conversation. “Let this man’s judgment begin.”
Seto nodded. “Yes. Commence with the Millennium Trial of this man’s soul.”
“A Millennium Trial…?” Atem muttered.
His soul? I thought.
“Yes, my king,” Shimon replied. “With a position of great power often comes great danger. And criminals that threaten the ruler of Egypt must be dealt with accordingly.”
It was Isis’s turn to speak up. “But you need not be alarmed, Pharaoh.”
Aknadin added, “We, the members of your Sacred Court, are here to ensure your safety at all times.”
Seto began the Trial, “Thou shalt now be judged by the dark magic of the seven Millennium Items!”
What does he plan to do?
“Shada will start.”
The bald noble stepped forward, removing the hood from his head. “Now, with the power of the Millennium Key, I shall read your mind.” He thrust the golden ankh symbol forward, holding it outstretched in front of the intruder. The Millennium Key began to glow. Atem and I both gasped. How could it glow on its own?
“The shadow of an evil Creature lurks inside his heart,” Shada determined. He stepped away, allowing Aknadin to take his place.
“I shall now invoke the energies of the Millennium Eye, thus revealing and extracting the being that dwells within.”
Suddenly, the terrified man before us began to glow a menacing gold. The dark aura made me shudder. A shadow began crawl out of the man’s mouth, slowly revealing itself to the rest of the court.
“What’s happening to him?” Atem asked, voicing my thoughts exactly.
“The Millennium Items have detected a Shadow Creature dwelling in the heart of this criminal.” Shimon then proceeded to tell us about how, though little was known about them, Shadow Creatures were dark, terrible beings that forced their hosts to do terrible things in order to feed on the darkness that grew in their hearts.
“Ahem.”
“Uhh, but like I said, little is known about these beings,” he said quickly. “I’m sure you and your Kuriboh are an exception to the rule, milady.”
I just rolled my eyes, looking away. But not before I saw what the intruder’s Shadow Creature looked like. It was like something from another world! It had four spiny arms, each with two enormous claws on the end. Its skin was a mossy green-blue tint that drew out its orb-like all-silver eyes. It had razor-sharp teeth that looked like it could tear apart any prey it came into contact with. It was a truly frightening Creature.
“In order to counteract the evil Creatures, the guardians within the Sacred Court use the Millennium Items to seal these monsters into stone tablets.”
So this is what would have happened had Kuriboh been evil?
“Master Seto,” Aknadin called, “Call upon the power of your Millennium Rod, and seal the fate of this Shadow Beast.”
“Right. A creature from the Realm of Darkness has no place in this kingdom.” Seto stepped forward once again, holding out his Millennium Rod. The Creature dove forward, claws engaged, ready to attack.
“Now, Millennium Rod,” the holy man cried. “Relinquish this beast. I beseech thee!”
Just as the Millennium Key had before, now the Millennium Rod began to glow of its own accord. It stopped the Creature dead in its tracks, ensnaring it in some sort of mystical trap, prohibiting any free movement. Priest Seto then threw the Creature headlong into the stone tablet behind him, forever holding the beast in its rocky prison. The once blank tablet now held an etching of the Beast on its face, signifying what monster it held inside it.
Atem and I watched the whole process in wonder. Could it really be over already? What about the other three Items? After all, it was obvious that Lady Isis’s Millennium Necklace could see the future, and the Eye, Key, and Rod had all been explained as they were being put into action. So what about the others? What did they do? I supposed their powers would reveal themselves when the time was right.
///!!!!///!!!!///!!!!///
Bakura let out a sneering cackle as he gathered together just a few of the many golden treasures buried in the late Pharaoh’s tomb. He even decided to wear a few, to look nice for the new pharaoh’s sake.
“One can never be dressed too formally when visiting the palace,” he reasoned. Feeling a bit tired, he decided to rest his feet on the convenient “chair” located in the center of the room. He patted the “seat,” rather proud of himself. “And since I wouldn’t want to show up empty-handed, I’ll bring this sarcophagus along as a peace offering.”
He hopped up, grabbing the end of the rope tied around the sarcophagus. “Now,” he snarled. “The king awaits, and we mustn’t be late.”
His minions followed him out of the ransacked tomb as he dragged the former pharaoh’s coffin from its resting place.
---*---*---*---
“Well done, Seto,” Master Aknadin approved, sounding somewhat fatherly.
“Thank you, Master Aknadin,” the young priest replied. He then glanced at Atem and me over his shoulder, sneering. “Now that we are done with him, let us banish this fool to the dungeon.”
Master Aknadin chided him, “We have expelled the darkness from his heart. Therefore, it is the duty of the Pharaoh’s Sacred Court to let this man walk free.” The old man turned to the guards. “Release him!”
Not willing to give up, Seto turned to Master Mahad. “If I am not mistaken, Mahad, palace security is your responsibility. Perhaps you would like to shed some light on this afternoon’s events. How did that intruder make it past the royal guard?”
How dare he try to pin this on Mahad, I thought. Accidents happen. It wasn’t his fault.
“Master Seto is right. Please, accept my apologies, Pharaoh,” the master magician spoke humbly, kneeling before Atem’s throne. “The Millennium Ring has been behaving quite strangely as of late, making it difficult to detect criminal activity.”
I suppose even magic has its limits and flaws, I figured.
“May I have your permission to increase security forces to fortify the city, my king?”
I looked at Atem.
Gravely, the pharaoh nodded. “Yes, of course. Please do.” He still had a hold of my hand, and I felt his grip tighten ever so slightly. I knew what he was thinking, and I was thinking the same thing.
Seto directed to the men holding the Creature’s stone prison. “Now, store that Creature in the Tablet Sanctuary!”
Atem breathed a heavy sigh, the tips of his fingers coming to his forehead. I watched the men carrying the stone tablet away from the throne room.
Who was that intruder? I thought. And how many more will there be?
===++===++===++===
“My pharaoh,” Shimon whispered. “Might I suggest that we move on and continue with the conception festivities?”
“What? I was just attacked!”
“That’s true,” Shimon admitted. “However, if your loyal followers sense your fear, they too will feel unsafe. And the best way to hide that fear is with merriment and laughter.” He ended his argument with a gleeful giggle.
“Well,” Atem hesitated with uncertainty. “I-I’ll try.”
“Let the Festival of the Pharaohs continue!” Aknadin announced.
“Wait!”
“Is there a problem, Isis?”
Lady Isis raised both hands parallel at the ends of her necklace. “My Millennium Necklace is sensing an evil force approaching the kingdom.”
“How close?”
“Shimon,” Atem said worriedly. “What’s going on?”
“This being lurks just outside the palace walls, and he bears a great power!”
///!!!!///!!!!///!!!!///
Bakura snickered from his viewpoint of his target, just outside the walls of the Imperial City.
“I think it’s time we made our presence known, don’t you agree?”
“Yes, my lord,” his followers replied in unison.
“Then let the ultimate rebellion begin!”