Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Displacement ❯ Adjustments ( Chapter 5 )

Sorry for the wait... I had to babysit for three days for a family friend. But here's chapter five!!!

 

I do not own Yugioh... just my own character, Jenna. Please R&R!!

 

*****

 

Jenna was brought on a tour of the Palace the next day, curetosy of Isis and one of the servants. It was the first time she had been out of her room and she was in awe immediately at just how incredibly beautiful the place was, and wondered how the hell they had the resources to create a place this enormous. But then again, knowing now that magic was real, she guessed that had probably played a role in the construction of the palace and the pyramids themselves.

After her tour, she headed back to her room and tried to pass the time. This proved to be difficult since there wasn't much she could do. About the only thing she could do was stand on the balcony and watch the people as they went about their lives. She caught a glimpse of Mahado and Akhenaden as they passed by down below, and recognised a couple of the servants as they went about their lives. She sighed, trying to make her mind go blank. At least when she had been going on the tour, she had had something to focus on... but now she had very little to do and found her thoughts trying to drift to her family and friends... who did not even exist anymore... well, who wouldn't exist for another 5000 years.

Right now her ancestors were probably nomads scowering around the countryside of France and England. The lands probably didn't even have their names yet... or they were some incredibly obscure old name that she hadn't heard of before.

A servant showed up with a change of clothes and another meal for her. She thanked him quietly and ate quickly so he could take the plate back to the kitchens and she could change in private.

Her clothes were soon changed and she wandered around her room, trying to do anything to take her mind off of her current situation. She picked up the brush and ran it through her hair halfheartedly, rearranged some of the knick knacks in her staying room and then made her way back to the balcony, unable to think of anything else to do. The healers wanted her to take it easy for another day or two, and so she was to stay in her room until they said she could do otherwise, which was fine, but it was boring as hell.

Not to mention lonely.

Jenna wasn't exactly a social butterfly or anything, but she wasn't used to be left alone for such long periods of time. She understood that it couldn't be helped at this point in time, though. The Pharaoh had his duties and the Priests were trying to ensure that his father was reburied with respect and trying to hunt down Bakura... a man she had been told was VERY dangerous and unpredictable. So finding him and bringing him to justice was of primary importance.

When she saw the sun was starting to set once more, she reentered her room and flopped down on the bed. She cried a little more and then tried to get some sleep, with very little success.

The Pharaoh dropped in on her again, just to see how she was doing and to give her a little company. He was not able to stay long since his priests wished to see him shortly before the Pharaoh turned in for the night.

Then he was gone again and Jenna was left to fare for herself again.

She layed back down on her bed and tried to force her mind to go blank... trying every little trick she knew to get herself to go to sleep with no success.

 

*****

 

Jenna got very little sleep that night, and wasn't quite as happy go lucky the next day. In fact, she hardly even cracked a smile as the servants gave her her meal, and one had a tub of water brought into her room so she could bathe... which surprised her, but since the Nile was fairly high this time of year, the servant told her it was something she could do with some measure of regularity... just not every day.

Well, that was SOMETHING she could feel relief about. She was worried she was going to have to go weeks or months without having a bath... something she wasn't looking forward to.

And the healer that had come in to see her that morning said he would give her a clean bill of health by the next morning... meaning she would be free to wander the Palace... something she was definitely looking forward to. She was getting sick of seeing these same walls day after day. She went through her usual boring routine for a few hours, trying to sleep with no success, hanging out on the balcony, running the brush through her hair, and doing anything she could to keep her thoughts from wandering to her own time. If she thought about it, she would just start to cry again.

The Pharaoh was very busy that day, as were the priests, and so she did not get to see them at all. Another servant showed up to feed her again, and then, to her surprise, Siamun, the Pharaoh's advisor, showed up at her door to check how she was doing.

“The Pharaoh would like to apologize for being unnable to visit you today, but things are becoming more desperate with each passing hour. Another regent of guards were killed and another tomb pillaged. Everyone is scrambling to find Bakura.”

She gave him a small smile. “I understand. The Pharaoh has nothing to apologize for.”

He tilted his head a little as he regarded her. “Are you all right on your own? I know it's not particularily eventful in here, and so it is very boring for you...”

Jenna forced a smile on her face. “The healer said he'll announce me fully healed tomorrow, so I won't have to stay in here anymore. I think I'll live the night.”

He smiled beneath his veil. “Really? Excellent!” Then he gave her a small bow. “I apologize, but I should return to my duties. The Pharaoh just sent me to make sure you were all right.”

She nodded. “No problem. I'll see you tomorrow, Siamun. Goodnight.”

He nodded. “Goodnight, Jenna.”

After he left, she sighed once more. She told herself to suck it up. She'd only have to be stuck in this room for another day. And then she was free to wander the palace if she wished. The sky was dark now. She wished there was a way to tell the time here, other than it being dark or light. She was no good at telling the time due to the position of the stars or even the sun. But, since it was dark, she decided it was good enough for her. She decided she was going to curl up in her bed and pass the time by sleeping.

 

*****

 

The next morning, she was, indeed, given a clean bill of health and therefore was free to roam around the palace... and was even given permission to enter the throne room if she wished! However, she did so only once to see what it looked like (incredibly lavish and breathtakingly beautiful, of course) and decided she would only do so again if she needed to speak to the Pharaoh about something important. Otherwise, she spent much of her time in the kitchens and in a small outbuilding of the palace that extended partway over the river.

She almost immediately felt a huge pang of homesickness the second she saw the outbuilding and the river Nile. The lush trees and grass and numerous flowers and other plants instantly reminded her of home. The homesickness had struck her almost like a physical blow. She had shakily taken a seat on one of the rocks and just sat there for what felt like hours, just staring across the wide expanse of the river.

She almost jumped out of her skin when someone placed a hand on her shoulder. She looked up and found Seto looking down at her.

“Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you.” he said, his voice in its normal neutral tone.

She breathed a sigh of relief and willed her heart rate to go back down to normal. “It's okay. I just didn't hear you, is all.”

“What are you doing out here?” he asked. “A servant came to your room with a meal for you, and you weren't there.”

She blinked. “It's time to eat already?” She rubbed the back of her head. “Wow... I guess I just lost track of the time.”

“You never answered my question. What are you doing out here?”

She sighed. “This place... it reminds me of my home. I just thought I'd stay out here for a little bit.”

“Homesick, are you?”

She didn't say anything. She simply nodded, refusing to meet his gaze.

Seto looked down at her for a long minute, and then pulled her to her feet gently. “Come on. You're food will get cold and you need to keep your strength up.”

Seto gently led her back to her room, where a plate of food, and, to her confusion, there was both a pitcher of water and a glass bottle, with two glasses. She looked at the priest questioningly.

He smirked. “One of the healers suggested it. The bottle has a intoxicating substance that is made from the fruits that grow on the trees by the Nile. They believe it will help to relax you.”

Jenna couldn't help but smile a little. “Alcohol, huh? Yeah, I think I could use a nice dose of that about now...”

Seto blinked. “Al... co... hall?”

She smiled. “It's what we call 'intoxicating substances' where I'm from. I was almost worried that you didn't have anything like that here. Just goes to show that some things are universal.” She pulled the cork out of the bottle and sniffed it. “It smells a little like red wine.”

He looked at her. “I would remain with you, but I have my duties to perform. Mahado is off to one of the Tombs to ensure the disturbed space is recleansed and blessed for the former Pharaoh. In the meantime, I have to ensure that there is a sufficient amount of guards patrolling the city in case Bakura launches another attack.”

She nodded. “I understand. Thank you for everything, Seto.”

He nodded curtly, and then left the room.

Jenna ate her meal first, and then had a few sips of water before pouring herself a glass of the alcohol and simply slammed it back. It was both sour and bitter, somehow reminding her of Sour Puss shot drinks and she wondered what its alcohol content was. Then she decided she didn't really care. The bottle wasn't big and she doubted it would be enough to get her flat on her ass drunk.

So she poured herself another glass full and slammed that one back as well. She looked at the bottle a moment and decided just to be safe, she would hold off for a few minutes to see if the two glasses would affect her at all.

She sat on the edge of her bed in silence for about ten minutes, and she felt a very subtle numbing in her body. To be safe, she downed two glasses of water, and then she filled the cup with the alcohol again and slammed it back once more. She did it a second time, and then waited as she had before.

She felt her head start to go a little light this time, and she decided she would be best to hold off on having any more for at least a half hour... just to make sure. She did not want to get falling on her ass drunk, neither did she want to risk getting sick. She still wasn't used to the heat of this place and it would take a while before she would...

In that instant she felt a chill race down her spine, knowing that she would HAVE to get used to it... that she was trapped here for the rest of her life. She looked at the pitcher of water and the bottle of booze. When another chill raced down her spine, she reached for the pitcher of water, drank another glass of that, and then thought 'the hell with it' and poured herself another glass of the wine.

It wasn't long before she was nicely buzzed... maybe even a little drunk. She had run out of water and asked the guard outside her door to get her another pitcher full, and then continued when he had returned. She made sure she kept herself hydrated, knowing fully well that if she didn't, the alcohol combined with the heat would give her one hell of a hangover the next day.

When she had only a glass or two worth of the alcohol left, she heard a knock on her door.

“Come in.” She said.

The Pharaoh entered the room and paused in the doorway, a knowing smile coming to his face when he spied the bottle on her nightstand. “Ah... I see you have been introduced to our vintage...”

She smiled back. “Yeah. It was the healer's idea. To help me to relax.”

He stepped forward. “Is it helping?”

She nodded. “Yes. Very much. I needed to get some of this in my system.”

“You are not too intoxicated to walk?”

She shook her head. “I'm not at that point.”

He smiled at her gently. “Good. I was wondering if you would go with me on a stroll. I have not had much time to spend with you lately. But my duties are finished for the day.”

Jenna gave him a small smile. “Sure. I could stand to take a walk.” She got to her feet and glanced at her bottle. She decided she would just leave it here for before she went to bed tonight. There was no point in taking it with her.

They exited the palace and walked around the grounds... which were filled with lush trees and gardens due to its location near the Nile. The Pharaoh pointed out several sights that she had not seen on her initial tour of the palace, since this was her first time being outside of it, not counting when she was out on her balcony. They walked along the wall of the palace, the Pharaoh nodding to some of the guards as they passed them. It was dark now, the only light coming from the moon, stars and torches that were hanging on brackets in the stone walls. The city was lit with a faint glow from the torches burning within the buildings.

When they were on the East side of the palace, Jenna blinked, seeing seven large pyramid structures off to her right on the edge of the desert. And she saw a strange light emanating from one of them.

“Um... Pharaoh? Is that building... supposed to do that?”

The Pharaoh stopped and blinked, looking where she was. His eyes widened slightly. “That's Mahado's Guardian Temple! It houses the beasts that he can call upon in battle! Is he utilizing his beasts?”

As they watched, a bright flash of light emanated from the top of the building and vanished over the hills in the distance.

Jenna stared. “What's... going on???”

The Pharaoh's eyes went enormous in that moment. “No!! He must be in battle with Bakura!!” He turned to Jenna quickly. “Jenna, listen to me. I want you to return to your room immediately! If Mahado is battling Bakura, then he is a great amount of danger and...”

“Pharaoh!!” Someone called. Turning, the two of them saw a young woman, younger than Jenna and the Pharaoh racing up to them, dressed in the clothes of a sorceress. “Master Mahado's Guardian Temple!!”

He nodded. “I know, Mana. I am going to check it out.”

“Please, take me with you!” she pleaded, her eyes glistening. “If anything happens to my mentor...”

He hesitated, then nodded. “Very well. We will get ourselves a horse.” He turned his attention to Jenna once more. “Please. Return to your room. Things may get dangerous and we must go to Mahado's aid.”

She hesitated a moment and then nodded. “Yes, Pharaoh.” She felt a little sick to her stomach, thinking that Mahado who had been so kind to her, might be in danger.

The Pharaoh and Mana both nodded to her and raced off toward the stables, while Jenna made her way back to her bed chambers.

She was unnable to sleep with what had happened rolling around in her mind. The thought that the Pharaoh's kingdom was in a crisis and she was here to witness it made her stomach twist slightly... especially since she had no magic to help them with their fights, and, indeed, couldn't even offer any advice to help them. She knew too little about what was going on to do anything.

So she tossed and turned beneath her sheets for several hours, unable to get rid of the sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach that something terrible had happened.

 

*****

 

Please R&R everyone!!! ^_^