Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Displacement ❯ A Day in the City part 2 ( Chapter 7 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
Here's Chapter Seven of Displacement!! Please R&R!!
I do not own Yugioh... only Jenna.
*****
The orchards were only a ten minute walk from the markets, and several people were milling about there as well, examining the fruits on the trees, harvesting some, and some planting seeds in the soil which would grow into trees and bushes as time passed. Jenna didn't recognize some of the fruits, and was given some to taste.
It was lush and green, once again reminding Jenna of her own home and she felt another sting of homesickness that she shoved to the side. Kalim was telling her the names of some of the fruits when they heard a horrified cry coming from their left.
They all turned and saw a young couple running alongside the river, their eyes scanning the water. Following their gazes, the Priest, guards and time traveler, saw a young boy, only around eight or nine, flailing in the water, desperately fighting the current and trying to keep his head above the water.
“Someone has to help him!” Jenna said, horrified.
Kalim looked at her. “There is nothing we can do. He is too far out to reach out a pole for him to grab.”
Jenna stared at him in disbelief. “So just jump in and get him!!”
His eyes widened. “But then I would drown!”
She was more shocked then ever. “YOU MEAN PEOPLE DON'T KNOW HOW TO SWIM IN THIS TIME?!” She quickly took off her gold jewelry and kicked off her shoes. “Then I'LL do it!!” She tore off for the edge of the river and dove in, ignoring the horrified cries of her escorts.
Their horror turned to amazement when she saw her easily traversing the water, moving through it with ease, making her way to where the boy was tiring and beginning to sink.
“How can she do that?” One of the guards asked in shock, staring with wide eyes.
Another guard stared right along with him. “She cannot be human!”
The boy sank beneath the surface seconds before Jenna got there, and she dove under the water's surface to seek him out. The worried parents were standing next to the guards and the Priest now, watching with just as much shock and now apprehension.
The girl resurfaced almost a half minute later, holding the boy in one arm. Then she made her way back to the shore.
The boy was not breathing and Kalim sighed with deep regret. “There is no life left within him...”
But to their surprise, Jenna shook her head once again. “He just has water in his lungs, and I'm going to get it out! I'm about to perform CPR for the first time in human history.”
They watched, in growing shock, as she tilted his head back and opened his mouth. She brought her lips to his own and then sat up once more and positioned her hands at the base of his ribs and pushed down hard five times. Then she brought her lips down to his own again, repeating the process.
She did this several times until, to the complete and utter shock of the watching Egyptians, the child started coughing up the water. Jenna quickly sat him up and held him close to her, patting his back.
“That's it, hon. Get that water out.” She said gently, smiling in relief.
The father of the boy stared at her, his eyes enormous. “She... breathed the life back into my son!!!!”
“She IS an angel! She performed a miracle!! She truly has been sent by the Gods themselves!!” said another in the crowd of watchers.
The little boy leaned against Jenna weakly for a moment and then looked up at her in awe. “Are you an angel?” he asked her quietly.
Jenna blinked, trying to figure out how to respond to this question, when the boy's mother was at her side, quickly checking over her son. In that same moment, Kalim and one of the guards helped Jenna to her feet, one of them holding her jewelry and shoes.
Before Jenna could so much as blink, the parents of the little boy were bowing low to the ground before her.
“You saved the life of our son! You breathed his life back into him! We offer you anything you desire! Money, any of our possessions! Just ask and it is yours, my Lady Time Traveler!!” The man cried.
As they were kneeled before her, the little boy was with two other children, telling them how the angel had saved her from the mighty river and breathed his soul back into him.
Jenna quickly waved her arms about. “W-wait a second!!! I didn't perform a miracle!! I'm not an angel... I just...” She sighed heavily and knelt down to the still bowing parents level. “Please... stop bowing and look at me.”
The two of them looked up hesitantly. Jenna's expression was hard to place... somewhere between being resigned and... reluctant.
She then gave the two of them a little smile. “Listen to me. I didn't perform any miracle right now. Both of those things you just saw me do... they are things that MANY people know how to do in my time. Swimming, for instance, is just a way of moving your body in the water so you don't drown. Anybody could learn how to do it. And with what I did to get your son to breathe again... we call it CPR... cardio-pulminory resusitation. It's another technique that can be learned by anyone in a short amount of time. All I did was I forced air into his lungs, and I forced the water out. That's why I brought my mouth to his, and I was pressing at the base of his rib cage... because I was blowing air into him, and trying to force the water out. Thankfully, it worked. Just like the swimming, it can be easily learned by anyone. So, you see, I didn't REALLY perform any miracles.”
The man bowed to her once again. “Even so, for saving the life of our son, anything you ask for will be yours! You have but to name it and my wife and I will gladly fulfill your wish!”
Jenna's smile grew a little. “I didn't save your son's life because I was expecting any kind of a reward. I saved him because he NEEDED to be saved, and I had the ability and the knowledge on how to save him. I would have done the same thing for anyone else. You can't put a price on a human life... or any life for that matter. Knowing your son is alive and well is all the reward I need. Besides, I'm living in the palace right now. I don't need anything.”
“But you must be rewarded somehow! Please, allow us to repay your kindness!!”
Jenna had a sinking feeling that they were NOT going to let her walk away on this one. She thought for a moment, trying to think of a way to satisfy them without taking anything that rightfully belonged to them.
“What do you do for a living?” she asked suddenly.
He blinked. “I sell fish in the markets.”
“You catch them yourself?”
He blinked again and nodded slowly. “Yes. In fact, that is what I was doing when my son was swept away by the river.”
Jenna blinked a smile coming to her face. “You guys don't have fishing poles in this time! You catch fish using spears, right?”
He nodded, unsure where this was going. “Yes, that is correct. Some of the richer merchants use nets, but I have none to use...”
The woman before him smiled. “You want to repay me? All I want is to see you catch ONE fish with a spear, and that's it.”
The Priest and guards stared at her. “You... want to see him catch a fish???”
She smiled broadly and nodded. “Yeah! I've never seen a fish caught like that before, but I've always wanted to! In my time, a different method is used... one that just requires a lot of sitting around and waiting in a boat. But using a spear is something that requires a lot of skill. Very few people in my time can do it that way.”
The father blinked at her and then smiled as well. “If it would please you so, then we can do it right now. My fishing spot is close to here.”
Jenna was on her feet immediately. “Then let's get going!”
Kalim and the guards exchanged several astounded looks, before the priest could only give them a shrug and a smile, and they followed their charge as she followed the family to their spot. She sat next to his wife and son in the grass and watched as the man took up a position in the water, holding the spear still.
Several minutes passed, the man not moving so much as an inch. And then, there was a quick stabbing motion, and he lifted the spear up in triumph, showing off a large fish.
Jenna was delighted at the show. She complimented the man heavily on the skill, beaming happily at what she had just witnessed. It was then decided that they should return to the palace, but before they went, Jenna felt someone tug on her robe.
Looking down, she saw the young boy she had rescued from the river, smiling up at her. “Miss Angel... can you come back some time and teach me how to travel in the water?”
The mother almost chastised him, but stopped when Jenna knelt down to his level and gave him a smile. “If I am able to, I most definitely will, hon. Until then, I want you to be extra careful when you're playing near the river, all right?”
He nodded and smiled broadly, and then threw his arms around her. “Thank you for saving my life, Miss Angel!! I hope I get to see you again.”
Jenna couldn't help but smile widely as she held him back. “I hope so too. But I have to get going now.” The boy nodded into her shoulder and stepped back. Jenna got back to her feet and smiled at the family. “Good luck to you.”
They nodded, giving her waves and smiles as she and her escorts turned and started heading back to the palace.
*****
After they returned and Jenna retreated to her room once more, Kalim reported all that had happened in the city to the Pharaoh and the rest of the priests.
“She is truly a remarkable young woman, and many people in the city are now convinced that she WAS sent to us by the Gods. She could easily have cheated the vendor, but she did not, and, in fact, was very generous to him, especially upon learning that he was supporting a granddaughter, gifting him with two coins from her own world that he may sell and gain great profit from to benefit them both. A young and poor couple asked her to bless their newborn child, which shocked her, of course. She tried to explain to them that she did not have the ability to do as they asked, but they insisted that a mere touch would be all that the child would need. Instead of dismissing them out of hand as many in her situation might, she decided, instead, to do as they asked, held the infant for a moment, and handed it back. Then, probably noticing their less than favorable conditions, she gave them a coin to aid them financially.”
The Pharaoh shook his head, a small smile on his face. “She truly is a kind and generous spirit, isn't she?”
Kalim smiled himself, and gave him a nod. “Yes, she is. But, I have not yet told you of the most incredible thing that happened.” His expression turned serious once more. “We brought her to the orchards next, when we heard a scream. A mother and father were racing alongside the Nile where their child had fallen in. I was shocked when Jenna asked why I wasn't jumping into the river to save the child...”
Seto stared. “You would have drowned yourself had you done such a thing!” he exclaimed, shocked that the woman would ask such a thing.
He nodded. “That is exactly what I told her. She then got a shocked expression on her face, then she removed her jewelry and shoes, and jumped into the river to save the child herself...”
Their eyes all went huge. “SHE DID WHAT?!”
“I swear to you, it is as I say. But, instead of being at the mercy of the river, she... somehow she traveled through the water itself, as though she had been born to it. The boy had been pulled under by the time she reached him, but she dove beneath the surface and reemerged seconds later, holding him in her arms. She then came back to the shore with him. The child's breath had left him, but she didn't seem phazed at all. She brought her lips to his own, and then began applying pressure to his lower chest. After doing this a few times, the water left the child and he was conscious yet again! He is now alive and well.”
Shada stared at him, barely able to believe what it was he was hearing. “She... breathed the child's soul back into him?”
Kalim shrugged. “She claims she did not perform a miracle at all... that both the water travel and the life giving kiss are merely techniques from her own world, that many are proficient at. She merely utilized them to save the child and claims they can be easily learned by anyone. The parents of the child insisted they repay her kindness for saving their child. She tried to refuse their request at first, until it became clear that they would be greatly upset if she did not request something. Upon finding out that the father was a fisherman, she merely requested that she watch him catch a single fish with a spear... apparently a technique that is now nearly non-existent in her own world.”
The priests, Pharaoh and his advisor were all totally stunned to hear this. She had set her own safety aside, leaping into the river to save a child, somehow resisting the pull of the water to reach the child and pull him to safety, even after diving beneath the murky surface, and then, once she had the child back to shore once more, she had breathed the life back into him. If that wasn't enough, she had insisted she had done nothing special, and refused any exhorborant repayment.
Fish... she had settled on simply watching him catch a single fish as the payment, somehow convincing them that that was more than enough repayment for the incredible act she had performed for them.
It was hardly anything at all... just as she had wanted from the beginning.
The Pharaoh felt a smile come to his lips as he thought of this, and his heart seemed to soar as he thought of her now. Just as it seemed to do every time he thought of the beautiful time traveler.
Just imagine, a voice whispered in his mind. Just imagine what a wonderful Queen she would make for the kingdom. She was already revered by them, through no choice of her own, and in fact, from what Kalim had told them, she seemed very uncomfortable with the idea. But he could tell, just from the expressions on their faces, that his priests would now look at her with a new light... in wonder and awe at what they had learned. What other secrets did this woman hide?
The Pharaoh was most definitely looking forward to finding out.
“Amazing... There is so little that we know about her... but every time we learn something... it is truly something remarkable. She is so humble, kind, selfless...” His smile grew a little. “Truly a wonderful woman...”
Siamun smiled and leaned in close to him. “You're forgetting beautiful, my Pharaoh... or did you just feel you didn't need to voice that particular aspect of her?” The glimmer in his eyes told the Pharaoh he knew exactly what he was thinking.
The Pharaoh was surprised to find himself blushing. “Where is she now?” He asked Kalim, regaining his composure.
The man smiled. “When we returned to the Palace, she immediately retreated to her room to change her clothes and...” He seemed to think a moment. “I believe she used the term... freshen up... which I am assuming means getting her hair back in order and relaxing. She seemed a little shocked and even somewhat disturbed at the treatment she was getting from the civilians.”
Pharaoh nodded. “Very well. You may all go now. You have your daily duties to complete.”
They all bowed down. “Yes, My Pharaoh.”
Once the priests were gone once more, Siamun smiled at the Pharaoh knowingly. “Well?”
The Pharaoh blinked and looked at him. “Well what?”
The small man grinned. “You try to hide it, but I've seen the way your expression changes whenever someone brings up Jenna.”
The young king felt a rush of heat come to his face. “I... don't know what you're talking about...”
“You can fool the priests, but not me. I helped raise you, remember? And I was a young man myself once and have fallen in love with a beauty or two. And don't forget, that you are now at an age where it will soon be expected of you to take a bride. Who better to stand at your side as your Queen than Jenna, who the people already admire and seem to hold in high regard?”
Pharaoh stared at him for a long moment. “But... the crisis with Bakura... I cannot allow my mind to wander to such things at a critical time such as this. This is no time for marriage and celebration. And aside from that, I do not know how Jenna would take to my asking her in the first place. If she does not return my feelings... I have no idea how she might react.”
Siamun smiled at him gently. “You do not think that the crisis with Bakura weighs heavily upon her own mind? She knows very little about our world, about our ways. She is the only one of her kind here... and she has no idea what is coming, and knows that WE do not know what is coming as well. All this must leave her feeling very afraid... and very lonely. Perhaps by confessing your feelings to the Lady, or even by asking for her hand in marriage when the time comes that Bakura is defeated, you will give her some hope, and aleviate some of that intense lonliness. I also spoke with one of the servants today, and he told me some of the rumors that have been going around in the city about her. They say everything from her being a mortal girl who was touched by the Gods, to her being an angel sent by Them, and even a few people who believe she is the Daughter of the Mighty Ra himself! In her own time she was a commoner... one of the many. Here she is being brought up to great heights against her own will... something that must be very awkward and confusing for her. It is something she cannot control, and I think her visit into the city today confirmed that in her mind.” His smile turned a little mischevious. “Did I mention that the same servant I spoke to saw you holding Jenna in your arms on her balcony the other night? THAT has rumors flying around that the Gods sent her to aleviate YOUR own lonliness.”
The Pharaoh turned bright red hearing this. “But we did nothing untoward! She was greatly upset about her present circumstances and I merely did what I could to bring her comfort...” Then he sighed, realizing it didn't matter. And much that his Advisor said was true. She WAS afraid and extremely lonely. Due to her exotic appearance, and especially after the great feats she had performed that day, she was quickly gaining high favor with his people. An image of her came into his mind and a smile formed on his face once again. He couldn't deny it... she was a truly beautiful and wonderful young woman, filled with compassion and love. And he was shocked to realize that he WAS in love with her.
He nodded to Siamun. “I shall visit her tonight. And if the right moment is presented to me, then... perhaps I will let my feelings be known to her.”
The old man at his side smiled broadly. “Excellent, My Pharaoh! I certainly hope it goes in your favor... because she is quite a catch.” He winked at him.
The Pharaoh couldn't help but smile yet again at Siamun. “Yes... she certainly is.”
*****
In the next chapter, the Pharaoh tells Jenna how he feels!! Will she accept or reject? Please Read and Review!!