Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Heart of the Cards ❯ Chapter 3 ( Chapter 3 )

Heart of the Cards:  Chapter 3   Mana awoke with a sense of contentment and stretched lazily in her soft, warm bed.  She cast a casual glance towards her window that faced the Eastern sky and smiled softly as she caught the last few moments of sunrise.      Mornings were the best.     Every morning started out without mistakes.      By evening, Mana would be reminded all too much of her failures, so morning was certainly best because it always offered hope.  Plus, Ra was the sun god so the sunrise could only be seen as something positive.     After releasing a sigh, Mana knew that she had best get out of bed to begin her day.  No doubt Mahaado had plenty lined up for her to do since she put off most of her studies to spend time with Atem.  A smile crossed her lips as she remembered the fun she shared with the pharaoh during his last trip.     With that thought on her mind she turned and noticed the necklace on her nightstand.  Her heart skipped a beat as she reached for the golden charm.  It was the most stunning work of art she had ever seen.  Inlaid within the gold were stones of jade.      “Wow,” whispered out of her lips as she lifted the charm and turned it over in her palms delicately.  Jade was an exceedingly rare stone.  It had to have come from the far reaches of the East.  She could only think of one man who would give her something like it.      With a new excitement in her movements, Mana threw off her covers and rushed to dress.  The urgency to see her teacher and thank him motivated her haste in preparing for the day.     “Mahaado!” Mana called when she rushed out of her bedroom doors.  He wasn’t in the common rooms of their apartment.  A little more tentative now that she was approaching his personal quarters, she called out “Teacher?”     There was no answer as she knocked on his door.  Mana took a deep breath, ignoring the sudden flutter of butterflies within her belly.  She shook her head, trying to clear away those feelings.  It was silly to have a crush on her teacher.  “Teacher?” She called once more as she bravely pushed open his door.     The necklace was clutched tightly in her hand and fell to her side inside the fist she formed at the sight before her.  Mahaado’s bed was un-slept in and the covers without a single wrinkle.  Her joy in her gift was fading at the realization that her teacher was not present and hadn’t been for some hours.     “Thank you anyway,” Mana muttered as she turned back towards her room.  She was going to ask Mahaado to help her put on her necklace, but now she would simply do it herself.  The gift was lovely, but she would always prefer to spend time with the man she respected and loved unconditionally than to have something of material value.     Her melancholy state didn’t last long, as it never really did.  Mana was too upbeat an individual to let things get her down.  The brisk knock at her front door reminded her of the pharaoh’s invitation to breakfast.     She forced a smile upon her face as she went to greet the servant that would be guiding her to the dining hall.  The smile turned genuine when instead of a servant, the pharaoh himself stood leaning against her door frame.     Atem smiled a crooked grin at his favorite mage-in-training.  “You look well this morning,” he commented when he noticed her smile transform into a genuine one.  It was then that he noticed the gold and jade necklace at her throat.  Without thinking he reached his fingers to trace along the necklace.  “Is this what Mahaado gave you?”     Mana reached up to her throat, brushing fingers with the pharaoh.  Their eyes locked for a moment before he removed his hands and crossed his arms over his chest.  Mana fought an uncharacteristic blush and cleared her throat, trying to find her voice.  “I found it on my nightstand this morning.”     Atem nodded his head as he licked his lips while thinking.  For some reason, the idea of Mahaado being in Mana’s bedroom bothered him.  Of course it was ridiculous to feel jealous of their teacher-student relationship.  Besides, Mana was only his friend so there was no need to feel possessive.  “It looks great on you,” he replied with another warm smile as he took her hand within his own.  “Our breakfast will grow cold, so I suggest we hurry.”     oooooOOOOOoooooOOOOOooooo   High Priest Set sat up in his bed.  Whenever he relived that memory he was always disturbed by the somewhat foreign feeling of concern he felt for the person he dreamed of from his youth.     He was only eight years old when he had traveled away from the palace on the back of his horse.  It was that night, nearly fifteen years ago that he crossed paths with a certain traveling caravan.     It was that night that he met a girl that would forever change his life.     She had long white hair and the most exquisite blue eyes.  They reminded him of the ocean from his visits to the lighthouse of Alexandria.  He had helped her escape her captors, only to be saved later by her.     She controlled the most powerful ka that he had ever the pleasure of seeing in action.  A great white dragon with blue eyes saved him from the cruel fate that would have followed his act of heroics.      He had spent most of his adult life in search of powerful ka and had yet to find one that even represented a fraction of the power of the young girl.  Of course, she wouldn’t be a young girl anymore, but his own age.     Impatient with the way his thoughts were traveling, Set got up from his bed and prepared for his activities of the day.  He had agreed to allow the apprentice mage to attend the pharaoh’s lessons.  He was loath to agree to such a thing, but as he was only the pharaoh’s cousin he lacked the ability to not agree with the pharaoh’s request.     “What good is being the second most powerful man in Egypt?” Set muttered to himself bitterly as he put on his priest robes and sought his manuscripts for the day’s lecture.  He brushed aside the thoughts of the white haired, blue eyed girl from his mind, as he did most days.     oooooOOOOOoooooOOOOOooooo   Mahaado rode his horse hard.  He couldn’t seem to put enough distance between himself and the palace.  He was not content with the unusual feelings of possessiveness he was feeling towards Mana in regards to his pharaoh.     The more distance the better, he should be able to set aside any feelings other than the affection a teacher shares with his pupil, a father with a daughter, a brother with a sister, a man for a woman.  He shook his head at the last comparison.  He couldn’t allow himself to think of her as a woman.     A priest was not allowed to have a relationship.  A little detail that had prevented anything from becoming of the feelings Priestess Isis felt for him.  Something might have developed between the two of them, but Mahaado would not allow such a thing to interfere with his duties.   Now Isis was with Karim and there were no repercussions.  The pharaoh even seemed to support the relationship.  Of course, Mahaado did not regret his decision to not pursue something more with Isis.  Serving his pharaoh and Mana’s studies were his top priority.      He didn’t have time for any distractions.  Those two individuals consumed most of his energy as it was.     “Sir, the men are growing tired.  You have ridden hard, we must rest,” a brave soldier suggested as he rode his horse alongside Mahaado.  Mahaado glanced at the man briefly and continued to ride hard, ignoring the uncomfortable sweat that caused his white cotton robes to cling to him.     A few minutes later, he calmed himself down and admitted that he needed to take care of his men.  It would not do to have them fall out due to dehydration and fatigue.  This mission would only succeed if the men were in top shape and he couldn’t risk failing in this mission.  The protection of the royal family was his duty.     “We will rest now,” Mahaado announced as he slowed his horse at the edge of an oasis.  He almost smiled at hearing the relieved sighs of his men.  After dismounting his horse and handing him over to a servant to groom he sat near a tree and the small stream.     Mahaado closed his eyes and allowed his mind to wander.  He was curious about what Mana’s reaction to his gift would be.  He was certain that it would please her but regretted being unable to be present that morning.  He would have found great pleasure in placing it around her neck and clasping it.     Her powers were growing by the day, although, most of her efforts were spent in mischievous play.  High Priest Set was very powerful and Mana was constantly able to defeat his wards and spells.     If only she was as motivated in other areas of her studies she might soon be his equal.  With his eyes still closed, he reached his hand up to the millennium ring that he wore around his neck.  It was his responsibility and his curse to bear.  As long as he wore it he would never be able to function to his full potential of power.     Through his student he would be able to see the full power of a magician that he would never be allowed to do himself outside of the safety of his temple.  The risk was too great while wearing the millennium ring for evil to take over his person.     oooooOOOOOoooooOOOOOooooo     From the mountains that overlooked the oasis a man watched the procession of the pharaoh’s must trusted servant and some of his soldiers.  Subconsciously, he ran his fingers up to his scarred cheek.     Revenge.     It was such a simple idea.     Justice would be served.     He would see to it that his village was avenged.     Murdered.     Hundreds of souls lost for the power of one man, whether he had knowledge of it or not, he still benefited.  For that he and his son would pay, be it in this life or the next.     The magician high priest would be a formidable foe, but he wasn’t concerned.  The priest was distracted as of late.  And if anything, he knew how to wait.  He had waited since boyhood to take his revenge.  He would simply wait as long as it took to have the advantage.     He would defeat the pharaoh’s most loyal servant before destroying the pharaoh himself.  He would take the millennium items as they were created by the blood of his people.     He would find revenge.