Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ With the Wind at My Back ❯ Like a Bird In a Cage ( Chapter 1 )

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

Disclaimer: You know what I own of Yu-Gi-Oh? Nothing. Know what I'm making for this story? Nothing. We clear? `Course we are. I mean, heck, if I owned YGO, you wouldn't laugh at me naming the kingdom "Duel."

Author's Notes: Beware falling AU! Medieval AU, at that. Everyone will be kept in character, though. Watch me go, huh? Eh, heh. This story does have a slight spoiler for Pegasus, though. You've been forewarned. Also, expect a major focus on Anzu and Yugi. Together. Apart. Doesn't matter. They're the stars here, folks. Finally, mature reviews are naturally appreciated. Aren't they always?

Chapter One: Like a Bird in a Cage

The Lady Anzu felt like the spacious room she inhabited was nothing more than five feet wide. The window did little to ease her; it simply made her feel even more claustrophobic. She was usually not one to panic over things easily, but this was definitely something to feel uncomfortable about, at least.

Jumping out of her intricately carved chair next to her equally exquisite desk, the young lady walked to the window, placing her hands on the cold, stone windowsill. It was gray out, the long day's rain causing the grassy ground to look more brown than usual, mud puddles splashing so hard she could hear it, regardless of how high up she was. Anzu watched longingly, as the commoners walked along outside the castle grounds, just outside the open gates. Idly, she wondered how it would feel if she was walking out there with them.

She bit back a sigh, and shook her head. Such depressing thoughts to have. They weren't helping any, were they? Besides, she should feel most grateful; many a young woman in her position would be utterly thrilled. After all, it hadn't been too long ago that her mother had died, which had left her with nothing more than her name, her mother never having that much money in the estate to begin with. Anzu would've, more than likely, been either forced to marry out of necessity, or kicked into the streets.

Instead, Fate had decided to be on her side for once. Her mother's funeral had attracted quite a few people. Money may not have been there anymore, but the late woman's reputation certainly was. And the most surprising guest had been none other than the King Pegasus himself.

The tall, handsome king had walked over to the grieving girl, and patted her shoulder. "Young Anzu," he had said softly, elongating his vowels in an odd, upper crust manner. "I'm sorry. You're mother was a wonderful woman."

"Thank you," Anzu had whispered, not quite sure why she suddenly felt so cold. Maybe it had been because the King's left eye was covered by his white hair. She never did like it when she couldn't look fully into someone's eyes.

King Pegasus had paused for a moment, staring at her with that one, piercing brown eye of his, before saying, "So young. Do you have any place to go?"

Something had hitched in Anzu's throat, and she had almost not been able to answer. "W-well, no. Not really."

"You poor dear," the king had sympathized, a little too much for Anzu's taste. Then, he had smiled, an utterly evil smile, as far as the girl was concerned. "You should come to the castle. Live there as long as you like, yes?"

How could she have said no? He was the king! Saying no meant she could be killed on the spot. And if not that, then all respect for her in the eyes of the kingdom would be gone, which was just as bad. So she had agreed.

And thus she was stuck in her gilded cage. It wasn't so bad at first, Anzu had to admit. But then, after a few months, King Pegasus' attention to her began to unnerve her. He didn't say much that would unsettle her, but every so often she'd catch him staring. Staring in a way that she didn't find natural, let alone flattering. The servants had told Anzu to be happy. It seemed that the king fancied her, and wouldn't it be nice to be queen? Besides, King Pegasus had been so depressed since the loss of the Queen Cyndia, and it looked as though Anzu had washed away his constant foul mood.

However, Anzu didn't see it that way. He never seemed to look at her as if he was smitten. It looked more along the lines of him sizing her up. Like he was planning something. She did not like those looks, and the more she stayed in the castle, the more she did not like the king. She couldn't ask to leave, though. That would be an insult to the king, which would basically be suicide for her, in one way or another. Either that, or he'd simply refuse her request.

With a very unladylike grunt, Anzu leaned out the window, allowing the cool rain to bring her out of her reverie. The chilling wind caused her short, brown hair to fall into and stick to her wet face, but it was a piece of the outside world, and for that Anzu loved it.

A soft knock on the door caused her to pull away from her small escape. "One moment," she called, wiping her face on her long sleeve, hoping to look more presentable.

It didn't much matter what she looked like, for once Anzu opened the door, Shizuka stepped carefully in, a long, brown cloak in her arms.

"Help me into the room, please?" Shizuka asked, a small smile on her face.

Anzu guided her friend to a chair, obviously surprised. "How did you manage to find your way here?"

The blind girl shrugged, her light cinnamon hair swaying with the movement. "I've been in this castle more times than I can count. I bet I can get around the halls better than any of the king's guards, sight or no sight."

"Still, you could've gotten hurt," Anzu said, frowning. "Or caught with that cloak. Then everything would've been for nothing! And Sir Jounouchi would've killed me for getting you into trouble."

Shizuka giggled. "My big brother wouldn't do that. Katsuya's a lot calmer than you give him credit for."

It took an ample amount of tongue biting on Anzu's part not to remark on Sir Jounouchi's protective streak. The knight was fairly well known for his short fuze, and his love for his vulnerable young sister.

"Besides," Shizuka added, "I wanted to make sure I got to say good-bye. I really am going to miss you," she confessed, sadly. "There's just so much I can talk to my older brother and Sir Honda about."

"I'll miss you, too," Anzu admitted. With gentle fingers, she took the cloak from her friend's hands. "Everything is ready?"

Shizuka nodded. "Katsuya and Sir Honda are on duty at the castle gate. You shouldn't have any trouble leaving at that point. So long as you can get out of the castle without being spotted," she added.

"That shouldn't be a problem," Anzu grinned, impishly. "I may not know this place as well as you, but I'm fairly decent at the back ways. Better than the guards. I hope," she muttered.

"You'll be careful?" Shizuka asked.

"Of course," Anzu promised, letting the cloak swirl about her as she clipped it securely on. A little trill of anticipation ran through her as the heaviness of the fabric weighed itself against her body. It was real. She was really doing this.

"You're prepared?" Shizuka wondered, a bit worried. "You've got some money, and you're dressed right?"

"Yes," insisted Anzu, now in very good humor. She patted the pale beige outfit that she had adorned earlier. Simple garb, much less comfortable than her usual silk wardrobe. However, it provided her with a look that blended in instead of stood out. Her money pouch was securely tied about her waist, hidden from view by the cloak. "I'll be fine. Really."

"I... suppose," the blind girl sighed. "I do wish I felt better about this."

"I'm sorry I have to leave you," Anzu apologized, leaning down to give her friend a quick hug. "I'm so grateful to have met you here. You, your brother, and Sir Honda. You're all risking an awful lot for me."

"You'd do the same," was Shizuka's wizened answer. There was a wistful smile on her pretty face for a moment, that faded to a tiny frown. "Anzu, do you know what you're going to do once you escape from here?"

"Well," Anzu began, pulling the cloak's hood over her head, "I'm going to go where my legs take me, with the wind at my back."

"That's not very specific," Shizuka pointed out, wryly.

"Maybe not," Anzu smiled. "But it's better than I have now."

Shizuka nodded. "Good luck."

"You too," said Anzu, walking to the door. "Cover for me?"

"Always," Shizuka grinned.

Anzu grinned back, grateful that her friend couldn't see the tears that were forming in her blue eyes. "Good-bye," she whispered, slipping out the door, and into the darkness of the hall.

She frowned at the torches that were lit, and hoped that no one walked down the hall, for she would surely be spotted, even if she stayed as close to the darkened part of the hallway as possible. Her slippered feet padded light along the stone floor. It was barely a whisper, but to Anzu it sounded like thunder in her ears. She could swear half the castle could hear her walking in the shadows. Clenching her teeth, she did her best to lighten her footsteps even more, as she carefully made her way down a rarely used flight of stairs that she had found by a great accident one day.

The granite steps were smooth, dusty from so little use, and Anzu nearly tripped a few times on the way down, once almost screaming and revealing herself. With one hand clamped securely over her mouth, and the other practically clawing at the wall for support, she finished her descent. The small frown on her face deepened when she found that the back way no longer had lit torches. She suddenly felt the need of their light, regardless of the chance of being found out. The few windows were no help with such a dreary day, and she was practically fumbling in the cold darkness.

Trying to keep some sense of location, Anzu kept one hand on the wall, trying not to scream when it occasionally bumped into a spider's web, or an actual spider. She knew there was a door somewhere in the back. One that the servants used from time to time to go in and out of the castle.

Anzu took one step further into the darkness, and discovered just why the servants rarely used this entrance. The rain from outside must have seeped through the stone walls of the castle, and water was now covering the floor. Her once warm, dry slippers were now cold and wet, squishing horribly with each splashing step. Anzu felt a chill run from her shoulders, all the way down to her legs, and she couldn't help but "burr" just slightly.

Holding her cloak tighter to her body, she kept walking down the long wet corridor, desperately looking for the door. Her concentration on the walls, she tripped on a turned floor stone, nearly falling onto the pool-like ground. Anzu urged herself not to scream in frustration at the whole mess. This was not at all how she expected her escape to freedom to be. She thought that the rain made excellent coverage, but it seemed to be hampering more than helping.

She was about ready to just resign herself with staying in the castle, when her hand slid from the stone, and touched wet wood. The door!

"Thank the heavens," she murmured, giving the door a good push.

Naturally, the heavens, though thanked by her, decided to make the job a bit difficult. The rain had swollen the wood, causing the door to be just tight enough to cause Anzu problems. Practically growling under her breath, she pushed and she shoved, doing nothing more than making her hands cold, wet, and possibly filled with tiny splinters. Thrusting out her chin in determination, she took a few steps back, then ran forward full force, ramming herself into the stubborn door.

It flung open, and Anzu's momentum caused the girl to fall to the wet, muddy ground, covering her skirt, and some of her cloak with the thick, brown stuff. And if she hadn't been so grateful about finally getting out of the castle, she would've groaned about it. She stood up, brushing off as much mud as she could, then holding out her dirty hands in the falling rain, rubbing them together in an attempt to clean them as best she could.

Realizing that the rain was slightly too cold for her to stay still for long, Anzu secured her hood one more time, then thrust her hands inside her cloak, wrapping it around her, and walking cautiously around the castle walls. She could hear her heartbeat in her ears, as she walked past a few guards as she got to the front. She made sure to keep her steady, calm walk, passing the merchant stands that were always set up inside the castle walls at the convenience of the guards and visitors. She ignored the calls for her attention from salesmen, every so often daring to murmur in a low octave that she wasn't interested in bread, or fish. The bread actually sounded like a wonderful idea, but she didn't dare stop now. She'd just have to get food once she reached one of the villages past the forest outside the castle.

Anzu lifted her head slightly as her goal came closer. The castle gates were still open, the sun having not yet completely set, though it was difficult to tell on such a rainy day. She couldn't help but speed up her pace just a bit, the adrenaline rushing through her veins. As she approached the gateway, she could see the two knights who stood guard. Relief washed over her as she recognized the two of them. Shizuka had been correct; there stood Sir Jounouchi, and Sir Honda. She could trust them with her very life, and Anzu wished she could go give both of them a hug good-bye.

Instead, she simply walked onward. However, not without glancing at the both of them. Honda kept his eyes forward, his lips quirked oddly, as he fought not to give her away by doing anything suspicious. Jounouchi, though, didn't seem quite as cautious, and gave her an encouraging wink as she passed. Anzu smiled at him deep within her hood, and finally took her first steps to freedom, outside the castle walls.

It took a great amount of self restraint for her not to skip all the way to the forest's edge that would announce her certain escape. However, she managed to simply walk to the trees, walking into the foliage as if she did it everyday. In truth, she wasn't quite sure where the path would take her. It split quite a few times inside the forest, that she was certain. But she had never actually gone into the forest by herself. Growing up, she always had a servant or her mother walk with her, and that was at her old home, which was quite a bit a ways from the part of the forest she had just entered.

Anzu was quite certain that regardless of the path she took, she'd surely arrive at a village, though. And that was a good start. So, she kept on the muddy pebbled path, humming softly to herself to keep away scary thoughts. The rain wasn't quite so hard, since the leaves from the trees gave some protection, but Anzu still had the mud on her from when she had fallen, and it made her feel a little bottom heavy. Still humming as cheerfully as she could, she shook out her skirt and cloak, trying to get some of the mud that had stayed on off.

Her clothing ruffled in the air, and got wetter from the rain that was managing to come down. That, unfortunately, simply made the mud on her clothes run down. So, she gave it one last final shake, and continued on her way, scolding her stupidity when her now even wetter skirt brushed against her already cold legs.

Anzu's humming became louder to compensate for her frustration at herself, and she quickened her steps. Her feet, still wet, squished along, her toes becoming frozen. She forced herself not to think about how soaked and cold she was, and instead focused on how she would find an inn to stay at for the night once she reached a village. She certainly hoped one would be open by the time she reached it. It was beginning to become dark, making it a little difficult to see the path.

There was a small rustle in the bushes from behind her, and Anzu spun around, blue eyes wide. Had they found her already? How could they know that she was missing yet? Poor Shizuka, had they figured out her part in it?

The bush moved some more, and a strange, inhuman sound erupted from behind it. Anzu's heart leapt to her throat. It wasn't a knight come looking for her. It was worse. It was a monster! One of the monsters that inhabited the forest.

Unable to hold back her scream, Anzu turned on her heal, and broke into a run. Her legs almost immediately protested this sudden burst of exercise. She was practically frozen stiff, her clothing was wet, partially covered in mud, and heavy. She was in no shape to run, especially not with the sun almost down. Still, she could hear the monster following her through the bushes, screeching as it did so. That was quite enough for her to find the energy she needed to continue her run. Anzu didn't quite understand it. She had heard this part of the forest was inhabited by gentle, harmless monsters, like Petite Dragons, and Pixie Guardians. Monsters that rather be people's friends than attack them. Why was this one chasing her?!

Whatever it was, it screamed again, and Anzu did the same, speeding up her pace as best as she could. Unfortunately, that caused her tired legs to trip over her skirt, and she crashed hard into the ground, tumbling over and over, until her back hit a tree. Her cloak was twisted around her, it and her dress now covered in rain water and mud. So were her arms and legs. She was dizzy, and suddenly very, very tired. The prospect of becoming a monster's dinner almost seemed like a good idea, and Anzu couldn't find the strength to stand, barely managing to prop her back against the tree she had collided with.

The bushes close to her began to shake, the screeching starting up again. Anzu held her breath, waiting for the thing to jump out and gobble her up, like the monsters always did in the fairy tales her mother used to tell her.

The monster did jump out, but Anzu quickly realized that it was in utterly no way, shape, or form able to gobble her up.

Instead, it leapt into her lap, tiny thing that it was, and blinked round, blue eyes at her, its brown, furry body shaking with giddiness.

"A... A Kuribo?" Anzu stuttered, suddenly feeling terribly stupid. She had run away from one of, if not the most harmless monster imaginable. Not only that, but it looked like this particular Kuribo was just a baby, since it was so small.

"Kuri!" he giggled at her, jumping a bit, quite happy with his new found friend.

"A Kuribo... " she repeated, the events of the day catching up to her all at once. She felt it bubbling up from her stomach, rising into her throat, until she was laughing hard. Until she was laughing nearly hysterically. Until she was crying just as hysterical. The hot, salty tears running down her cheeks, mixing with the cold rain water. How had the day ended up like this? Why did the Fates seem to suddenly be against her?

"Kuri?" the Kuribo questioned, deciding that maybe if he snuggled up against his new friend, she'd feel better and stop crying.

Anzu was grateful for the small comfort, and she wrapped her freezing, shivering arms around the small monster's fuzzy body. Her tears continued to fall, as her energy quickly died away. She was cold, so terribly cold. And tired, so tired she couldn't open her eyes anymore. She knew that she should keep awake. That she could die of exposure during the night if she didn't get up to find shelter.

But Anzu couldn't find the energy to move at all. Sleep seemed like such an inviting thing. Maybe a small nap couldn't hurt. A little one, barely even an hour... Yes... That sounded like a good idea... She could get up in an hour, surely...

She felt her grip on consciousness slipping away, blissful oblivion beckoning her to come. Scarcely, she could hear her new, furry friend screaming at her. But he sounded like he was so far away. She'd go looking for him later, she decided. Anzu liked the idea of having a companion on her journey.

Then, there was a new sound. A sound that almost woke her up. The sound of someone walking toward her. The Kuribo on her lap squealed, the sound echoing in her fuzzy brain.

"Miss?" someone called. Someone young, male. She couldn't seem to recognize the voice. Anzu tried to open her eyes, cracking them open just a bit to make out a short, blurry shape. "Miss, are you okay?" the shape asked, concerned.

Anzu's eyes closed completely then, her tired state deciding it didn't care who this person was anymore. She just needed to rest. And as she drifted off to sleep, she felt a gentle hand brush her hair out of her face.

Next Chapter: Introductions, and Discoveries