Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Desert Flower ❯ Chapter Two ( Chapter 2 )

Disclaimer: See Chapter One

Note from Author: :3 Thank you for the kind reviews, and thank you to those who put this story in their alerts and favourites. This chapter is for you guys!

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Desert Flower
Chapter Two

As she danced, Anzu could sense something was wrong. She saw eyes straying away from her and staring towards the palace, and soon the musicians behind her stopped playing their magical notes. She stopped and turned with the crowd, watching as four palace guards excited the large stone gate that opened up in the middle of the wall surrounding the Pharaoh’s estate.

“He couldn’t be…”

People started whispering of the Pharaoh putting a stop to the celebration, and soon everyone around Anzu became either extremely angry or extremely scared. Anzu shook her head in disbelief; there was no way the Pharaoh would do such a thing! He had to be suffering from the drought as well, so wouldn’t he support them?

The gears in her mind began working furiously, but soon came to a screeching halt as the four guards stopped directly in front of her. Anzu stared at them with wide eyes, and then stared down at the box of coins that was in front of her…could they have possibly figured out her scheme already? She wasn’t about to take any chances, so she shot her hands out and made a semi-charge t the box, but it did no good. One of the guards kicked the box out of the way while two others grabbed Anzu’s arms.

“No let me go!” she screamed, struggling in vain as the first guard shoved a bag down over her head while the fourth stole her hands from the others to tie behind her back. “No!” Anzu’s voice was muffled by the bag, and the musky, dusty smell that now surrounded her caused her to cough.

“Come on, you.” Anzu yelped as she felt herself being picked up and tossed over a shoulder. “It seems the Pharaoh wants to have a word with you.”

Anzu’s stomach was retching out of her abdomen by this point, fear coursing through her. The Pharaoh would never go through this much trouble if he just wanted to have a ‘word’ with someone, she had definitely been caught…and this was the end for her. She shut her eyes tightly. Darkness, the darkness of a dungeon is what she would be staring at for the rest of her days, she just knew it!

She spent the next few minutes bouncing about on the guard’s shoulder, her mind working constantly over an escape plan that would never work. She had lost all knowledge of what was going on around her until she felt her body become airborne. Anzu shrieked as she hit the smooth marble floor that she ended up sliding across a fair distance. Where was she? She couldn’t even sit up because her hands were tied behind her back, so she just lay there, helpless as she heard footsteps coming towards her.

“Seto, when I said have the girl brought to me, I didn’t mean for her to be tied up like a pig ready for roast.” A deep voice commented with annoyance. Anzu knew that voice; she had heard it speak to them so many times from the palace walls. Pharaoh Atemu. She had no idea what he looked like; no one did, because when he spoke to them he always stood in the shadows.

“I am sorry, Excellency,” another voice said, “I guess I was not clear enough with the guards.”

“No matter,” the Pharoah said. “She is here, that is all that matters, now, let’s have a look at her face. She was quite hard to see when I spotted her earlier.”

Anzu winced and closed her eyes as she felt the sack being pulled off of her head, and for a moment she was too terrified to open her eyes. When she finally allowed her blue gems to unfold, she found herself staring back into a pair of sharp, crimson eyes that were studying hers intensely. She gasped and rolled back slightly, the sudden closeness causing fear to strike back into her again.

The crimson stare seemed to smile then, and soon a low chuckle was heard as the Pharaoh stood. “And now she is terrified, maybe I should have went to get her myself.” He said, crossing his arms over his chest.

Anzu stared at him in awe; she had never seen a man like him before in her entire life. He was tall, well built around the shoulders and chest, and had a lovely dark complexion. His hair was unusual, but fit his face perfectly; it was long and spiked up in the back, while his bangs were edged and around his face. His hair was also three different colors! The back was an odd red-purple color, followed by coal black, and his bangs were a vibrant, bright yellow. Anzu also noted the golden eye that was strapped to his forehead, for it was a most unusual trinket.

“Now,” the Pharaoh folded his hands behind his back and started to walk around her, his white cape chasing him across the smooth sand-color floor. “Before I let you know why it is that I brought you here, can you tell me your name?”

Anzu watched him circling her, she tried to free her hands from behind her back but it was useless. With a low sigh she let her head rest on the floor and just stared blankly across what seemed to be a ‘throne room’ of sorts. “Anzu Mazaki…” she mumbled.

“What was that?” the Pharaoh asked. “I’m sorry but I am afraid I couldn’t hear you that time, can you speak a little louder?”

Anzu’s eyes narrowed. “Anzu Mazaki.” She answered, slightly louder and more definite this time. “My name is Anzu Mazaki.”

“There we go, keep that volume from now on. I may be Pharaoh but I do not have super human hearing.” Pharaoh said with a small chuckle. “Anzu…what a pretty name, well I guess I should have expected such a name, it matches your face.”

On normal circumstances, Anzu would have blushed at the comment, but at that moment the redness in her face wasn’t embarrassment, but anger. What exactly did he want of her? “Excellency, what is it that you want with me? I have done nothing wrong…I was merely in the streets performing for the Gods.”

“Yes, yes. I know.” Pharaoh said, nodding as he continued to circle her. “I saw you, and you did such a spectacular job. If the Gods ignore that, well there is surely something wrong in their heads.”

To hear the Pharaoh speak such blasphemy…Anzu thought she would never hear such a thing. “With no disrespect intended, Excellency, I fail to understand why I am here…”

Pharaoh kneeled down behind her and grabbed her shoulders, hoisting her up to a sitting position. “I grow bored within these walls,” he said in her ear. “I have nothing to entertain me, and when I saw you dance I realized that I must have you here.”

“What?” Anzu asked as she felt him cut the ropes the bound her hands together. She watched as he watched around her and up the small staircase that lead to his throne. “Excellency I don’t understand.” She did…she just hoped she had misunderstood.

Pharaoh sat on his throne and tossed the ropes aside. “I want you to dance for me, Anzu.” He said, resting his chin on his fist, his crimson eyes studying her carefully. “Every day, for at least a half hour a day I want you to entertain me with your dancing. In return you will live in the palace and free rang of the entire grounds within the walls.”

Anzu placed her hands on the floor in front of her. “You mean….” Her mouth hung open slightly, she then shook her head. “No, Excellency, I can’t. I have a farm…I have animals…no one is left to take care of them. I…I…” she was running out of excuses. “There are many other dancers, better dancers in the village who would die to have this thrust upon them.” She stretched her arms across the floor and touched her forehead against the cool marble. “Please…Excellency…I beg you to reconsider.”

“It seems she needs some persuasion.” Pharaoh said, motioning for his Priest to come to his throne.

Anzu lifted her head and watched as Priest Seto, a man she had seen millions of times at the temple, strode over to the Pharaoh. “Seto, take her to the Palace Temple with you, have her speak with the Gods…they will persuade her.” Pharaoh said and watched as Seto nodded.

“Guards, take her and follow me.” Seto ordered, casting Anzu a sickening sneer as he walked by her. “We are…going to the Temple…”

Anzu looked back at the Pharaoh, whom was smiling kindly at her. She shook her head as she felt two guards lift her to her feet. “No…” she whimpered under her breath as she was led away.

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Where Anzu was led was not the Temple, it was deep under the palace, even down further than the dungeons. “Priest Seto, where are you taking me?” Anzu demanded. “This isn’t the Temple! This is…isn’t…”

“Shut up, wretch!” Seto spun around and slapped her in the face, the sound of skin connecting with skin echoed through the winding stone staircase. “You are lucky Atemu is the way he is! He actually believes that you ‘speaking’ with the Gods with persuade you to dance for him. The man is naïve and stupid!” he grabbed her face. “Now you listen to me…if you even dare tell Atemu about what is about to happen, your pretty little head will be on a pike for the entire village to see.”

Anzu’s eyes burned, her face was stinging, and she felt as if she were about to throw up. “Wh-what are you going to do?” she asked.

“Persuade you.” Seto said with a smug smirk as he let go of her face and continued his way down the stairs, torches on either side of the wall lighting up as he strode past them.

Anzu was dragged down the stairs behind him, her head down and her eyes shut tightly. She didn’t even made a move to get away as the guards tied her hands to a stone post at the bottom of the stairs. After the rope was fastened, Anzu looked around. They were in an empty room with torches lining the wall. “Where…where are we?” she asked weakly, her eyes landing on Seto.

“You need to be persuaded…but first, I’d like to know…why are you refusing my Pharaoh?” Seto asked, picking up a small black box that was concealed by the shadows of a corner. “His offer is fair to you, young Anzu, so why do you have to make this hard?”

“He stole me away.” Anzu answered simply. “I am not going to dance for a spoiled Pharaoh while my people are out there starving because of the drought!” she started having regrets, maybe this was the Gods way of punishing her for trying to trick the villagers...maybe she should have been honest and true about praying to the Gods. “I am not going to dance for him…my dancing will not make me an object.”

“My dear…” Seto said as he opened the box and pulled out a long black whip. “You are already an object…”

Anzu’s eyes widened in terror, “no!” she cried, trying to wiggle her way out of the rope. “No! No please don’t! Don’t!” she struggled, but couldn’t escape as one of the guards ripped off the fabric that was covering her breasts.

“We don’t want to get that nice white cloth full of blood.” Seto said tauntingly as the guards finished tearing the cloths away from Anzu’s small frame. He looked her up and down, and then held up the whip. “This is for saying no…”

Anzu’s mouth hung open and her eyes snapped wide as she felt the skin on her back peel away with the first crack of the whip. She screamed, tears rolling out of her eyes. “No! NO PLEASE!” she shrieked as another crack echoed through the little room. “Help me! Help me someone, please!” she cried out.

“No one can hear you, Anzu.” Seto taunted as he whipped her over and over again, making her back look line with bloody streaks.

Anzu fell to her knees, hugging herself. “No more! No more, please! Please!” she cried. “Please…please I’ll do it, I’ll do it….”

Seto smiled as the guards untied her hands, he then kicked her onto her back on the floor. He stood over her and tucked the handle of the whip between her breasts. “You’ll do what?” he asked. “What will you do, Anzu?”

“I’ll dance…” Anzu cried, the cold, rough stone floor scraping her back. “I’ll dance…I’ll do whatever you ask of me…just please…no more…”

“Good.” Seto looked to the guards. “Have her cleaned up, dressed, and then bring her back to the throne room…she has something to tell Pharaoh, and she will do it with a smile on her face.” He glared down at her and watched as she nodded quickly. “That’s a good girl.”