Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ The Love of a Priestess ❯ Memories of Love ( Chapter 31 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Originally posted on March 1, 2005; Reposted on April 28, 2005 with formatting edited.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: The long chapters have begun!!! Muahahahaha!!!

Seriously, this is long for this story. And the three chapters I have after this are at least this long. So don't worry. There should be plenty of LP goodness to go around for a while.

Updates might be about every week and a half now, since I haven't written too much past this chapter. I just realized that there are only 28 days in February, so you're actually getting this 2 days early! How exciting!

Oh, by the way, the rating on the story is now R. This is just an extra precaution on my part, don't think that anything in this chapter is explicit or bad or anything. It's just a safety precaution. I think we can all agree, though, that this is not something 13 year olds should be reading… So that's why PG13 wasn't working for me anymore.

Thanks AMK and Jenny Galaxie for your encouraging reviews! And I've been getting A LOT of hits on the chapters recently… Thanks so much for reading! Don't forget—if you get a chance, leave a review!

Chapter 31: Memories of Love

I stood beside the High Priest outside the Temple. We were waiting for something…

The chair the Pharaoh had sent to meet us arrived. We walked regally down the steps together, and the High Priest held out his arm and helped me up.

We rode through the Kingdom, in the direction of the Pharaoh's city. The High Priest… the High Priest had an audience with the Pharaoh, that was it. And also with the other high ranking Temple officials. They'd all been invited by the Pharaoh.

When we arrived we were helped down by guards and led through the Palace. The Pharaoh himself met us in the Great Hall.

“Welcome, Priestess of Priests,” he said to me, bowing low. “We have prepared rooms especially for you, and I myself will escort you to them.” I nodded, inclining my head slightly. “And you, High Priest,” he said, turning to him. “The others of the Temples are waiting for you. There are guards to escort you there.”

As the Pharaoh led me away, I walked silently beside him. We said nothing to each other, not even touching, until we stopped before my chambers.

“Here you are, Priestess,” he murmured, drawing aside the curtain. “Please, tell me if there is anything you need.” He turned to go.

“Wait,” I said suddenly, pulling on his sleeve. “Come inside,” I continued, drawing him into the room.

He stood, silently, before me. His eyes were veiled and cold. “Yes, my Priestess?”

I nearly cried. “Why?” I whispered. “Why are you acting like this? As if… nothing had ever happened?”

His eyes narrowed. “Would it be appropriate for us to be seen together? You are, after all, the High Priest's consort.”

“Sleeping with the High Priest hasn't changed the way I feel about you!” I cried.

“Why didn't you tell me you were expected to be chosen?” he hissed.

“I thought… I thought I could spell myself so that they would not notice. I knew I would not be chosen as High Priestess… My power is too great, too baffling for the Priestesses to accept. They were afraid of me. I knew that if I were chosen at all it would be as the Priestess of Priests. And so I tried to protect myself against the priests…” The mention of the priests brought chills to my body. Why was I so afraid of them?

“I love you, Yami,” I whispered softly. “Why can't you see that?”

He turned away from me. I went over to him, sat on his knee and wrapped my arms around him. Angrily, he pushed me away. I cried out as I staggered away from him.

“We can't. Not anymore. I'm not… I'm not angry with you,” he said slowly, seeing the hurt in my eyes. “I'm just… frustrated. I love you so much, but I couldn't do anything to keep you. I wanted you to be my Queen… to spend the rest of my life with you, to have you raise my children… and now I can't have that. I was powerless to stop it.”

“But you're not powerless now,” I whispered seductively, returning to his lap. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him.

He gasped, and at first refused me. I continued to kiss him, shifting my hips restlessly to let him know what I wanted. I felt his body change beneath me, become warmer and firmer and aroused. At last, he gently pried my lips apart with his tongue. I laughed softly, and pulled him against me. He kissed me hard, passionately, and it was as if I had never been given to the High Priest.

As we kissed I shifted myself in his lap, straddling him and pressing myself against him. He cried out softly against my mouth, then thrust his hips against mine so I could feel him. I laughed, and reached one hand down to stroke him. He moaned and stood. Laughing, I wrapped my legs around his hips and locked my ankles together. He kissed me again and walked over to my bed, with me clinging to him. With a soft sigh he lay down on top of me.

His lips caressed the skin on my neck as his hands gently removed my linen gown. I laughed against his lips as he kissed me while I removed his clothes, too. His hands moved to caress my breasts, then slid down my abdomen to my hips and thighs. I wrapped one arm around his neck, holding him to me, while the other roamed over his beautiful body. We were naked against each other, our bodies pressed together and moving in perfect harmony.

I opened myself to him, and as he thrust himself into me he reached to close the curtain around my bed.

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When I woke up it was mid-evening, and the Pharaoh was gone. I smiled faintly and crawled out of bed. I found the tile-lined pool in the next room, and bathed. The warm water made me slightly drowsy, and when I was finished I slid back into my bed.

But after only a few moments I found I was restless. The Pharaoh had awakened what I had hidden for so long. I was hungry, desirous. I could not go to the Pharaoh tonight. It would be very difficult to do without drawing unnecessary and unwanted attention.

I tossed in my bed for nearly half an hour until I could stand it no longer. I slipped out of bed and past the heavy curtain in my doorway, prepared to go to the Pharaoh's rooms. I knew them and how to get there well enough. As I tiptoed down the hallway I paused before the room next to mine. Light was peeking out from beneath the curtain, and I wondered who it was.

Slowly, I pulled back the curtain just enough to see inside. The light came from a small glowing orb hanging in mid-air. It illuminated a large, beautiful wood desk. Sprawled across it were papers, inks, brushes, charcoal. They had the look of having been used extensively, then laid aside hastily. I smiled faintly. There was only one person this room could belong to.

He was lying on his own bed, tangled in the fine linen sheets. His clothes, worn and dirty from traveling and meetings all day, lay in a neat heap on the floor. His breathing was even and light, indicating to me that he was sleeping fairly soundly.

Some motherly instinct awoke in me, and I pushed the curtain all the way aside. I used my own power to dim the orb of light, then carefully straightened the papers on the desk. He was quite particular about his work, and would have been upset if anything were out of place. I took his dirty clothes and spread them out to air until a maid came to take them away for washing. I knew he often got cold when sleeping, so I reached beneath the bed for the extra blanket I knew was there. With a little sigh, I began untangling his body from the sheets. When I had finally done so, and had tucked him in beneath the other blanket, I turned to go.

Only when I looked upon him did it occur to me to stay. He looked so angelic in sleep. His icy, hard eyes were closed and relaxed, his sharp cheekbones dulled by dreams. Every line in his face had softened to the point where he looked sweet and kind. I smiled, stroking his hair away from his face. Gently, I pushed back the covers until I had revealed his perfectly carved, naked body. I gazed upon him for a few moments, then, with hardly a thought, climbed on top of him and kissed him.

He woke, eyes wide and body fighting me. I only kissed him harder, driving my tongue deep into his mouth. When at last he saw that it was me, his eyes grew even wider. I laughed against his mouth, teasing him. I could feel him beneath me, as I had felt the Pharaoh earlier, growing hot and hard and hungry. I shifted my hips back and forth just slightly, and he gave a soft cry.

He must have sensed that I was in control this time, and, to my surprise, he let it stay that way. He kissed me, hard, one last time, then fell away from me so that he lay flat against the bed. I smirked down at him, running my fingers over his chest and down his breastbone. A shudder ran through his body, and he moaned. He was anxious, ready, waiting, but I was not. I wanted to tease him longer, make him wait for me, make him truly desire me. When I leaned over and began to gently nibble the skin on his neck, he whimpered softly, moving his hips, pleading with me. I shook my head and continued.

After what felt like minutes rather than seconds I sat up again. He was lying breathless and helpless beneath me. At last, I straddled his hips and guided him into me. He moaned, breathing heavily. With a little gasp I began moving. I watched every muscle of his groin, stomach, and chest tighten as he arched his back and thrust his hips upward. Laughing, I dropped my weight heavily to keep him down. His hands gripped my thighs, painfully real.

It was only moments before it was over and he was satisfied. I rolled off him and snuggled against him, practically purring in happiness. He lay beside me, breathless, for a few moments, then he rolled towards me and drew me against him. Laying my head against his chest, I was lulled to sleep by his gentle, even heartbeat.

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I woke up the next morning snuggled against him, arms around his waist. His legs were wrapped around mine, and his arms surrounded me protectively. I smiled to myself as I stirred restlessly. He woke slowly, one eye opening at a time. He stretched his long limbs out before collapsing back on the bed. I lay on my side to look down at him.

He smiled up at me, something very few people had ever seen. “You're so beautiful,” he whispered, awestruck. His hand reached up to trace the line of my jaw and brush against my hair.

I smiled and leaned down, kissing him gently on the cheek. I saw the disappointment in his eyes as I sat back up, and I smirked ever so slightly to let him know I was playing. He put a pained look on his face and practically whimpered, “Is that all I get?”

I smiled playfully, then leaned down as if to kiss him. “Of course not, my dragon,” I murmured sweetly. Instead of kissing him though, I placed my hands on the back of his head and pressed him against my breasts. Like a child, he cried out when he did not get what he wanted, but was quickly quieted when he discovered what I was offering him instead.

Hungrily, he kissed and caressed my breasts with his lips and tongue. When he was satisfied with that, he raised himself so that we were facing each other and kissed me. I kissed him back and fell onto the bed.

“I love you,” he whispered gently in my ear. He paused briefly. “I just want to know… if you…”

“I love you, if that's what you're wondering. Do you think I'd be here if I didn't?” Under Temple law, I had every right as a priestess to refuse him. I was required to sleep with him for religious purposes and ceremonies, but otherwise I was only his symbolic partner. I was free to give myself to any man I wished. However, in practice, most priestesses would not do such.

We lay there, quietly, for many minutes until there was a soft pounding at the curtain. Sighing, he drew up the blankets and covered me with them, so that no one could see me, then called out to whoever stood at the door.

“My Lord High Priest, the priests await your presence in the Great Hall. If you are busy, or disinclined, they say that they will wait,” a servant murmured.

“Thank you. Tell them I'll be down shortly.”

He sighed and pulled himself out of bed. I peeked out from beneath the blankets to watch him dress. “When will you be back?” I asked.

“Later. I don't know. These meetings are abominably long and dry. No offense to any gods, of course, only to the men who like to hear themselves speak.”

“Very well then. I'll wait for you.”

He hurried to kiss me before he left. “I would be honored to find you still here when I return, my lady dragon.”

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I smiled and pulled the blankets up over my breasts, settling back into the pillows. I'd drawn the window curtains aside to let in light, content to lie in the empty room and wait.

I basked contentedly in the sunshine for hours, alternately dozing and daydreaming. By mid-afternoon, I was impatient. I was ready to crawl out of bed, dress, and go to the Pharaoh's library to read when I heard the door curtain move.

Quickly, I ducked back down beneath the covers, revealing just enough of myself to tempt him when he came in. I closed my eyes and feigned sleep, ears straining to hear his gentle footsteps approaching.

He stopped beside the bed, pausing momentarily. I kept my breathing still and even. A hand reached beneath the sheets to caress my thigh. I smiled inwardly. His other hand reached for my barely visible breast. He leaned over slightly, and I turned to look at him.

My eyes widened. No. Wrong. All wrong. Where was my dragon? This man… I knew…

“Good afternoon, Priestess,” he snickered, hands still hungrily fondling my body.

“Get away from me!” I cried. “You have no right… “ I faltered as he released my thigh and clamped a hand over my mouth.

“No, I don't. But the gods are a different story.”

“What are you talking about?” I cried into his hand. The gods spoke only to the priestesses… only rarely did they speak to priests, and then only the High Priest.

“The god of truth came to me last night… He told me you'd betrayed the High Priest—with the Pharaoh, no less—and should be duly punished.”

My eyes widened. He was insane. Absolutely insane. Under Temple law, the High Priest had no claim to me. I had claim to him; I was the only woman he could have. But I was free to choose lovers as I liked.

I bit his palm, hard, and he lifted his hand with a cry. “The Temple laws…” I gasped.

“Were written by filthy whores like yourself!” he shrieked, slapping me across the face.

I screamed, to no avail. He pressed down harder on my mouth. I kicked and thrashed, succeeding only in tangling myself in the blankets. Tears formed in the corners of my eyes as he straddled me, laughing.

Where are you?, my mind called pitifully, plaintively, begging for help. But no one came…

He leered at me, then forced my legs apart and shoved himself into me.