all disclaimers apply

With only a small torchlight and a flashlight as backup, Marik walked slowly through the tight passageway that had been dug by the ancients. It was a backway in, a place where tombrobbers had tried, but failed to reach the wealth of buried queens and princes. Marik, however, had completed their tunnel. His father had mentioned, when he was a child, passageways to royal tombs that would bypass all normal means of entrance. It was knowledge passed down only to each leader of the tombkeepers. This one was never completed until Marik's time as many thought it was too much effort for so little. The young queen of the "Nameless Pharaoh" was seemingly insignificant and virtually unknown. As many of the historical texts tried to erase her husband's name and being, so she was as well. But, those who knew and cared for the young couple would have given them proper burials and told of the tales of the two...somewhere. Her tomb had never been breeched by tomb raiders. It was still perfectly preserved.

Now, onto his stomach and crawling on the sand and dirt, Marik squeezed his way through the last portion of his makeshift expressway to the queen's tomb. He had entered it only once before and that was more out of hatred for the pharaoh who had caused him so much grief and turmoil. He had done nothing to the tomb upon reaching it then, as it had a calming effect upon him. And now, many years later, he entered it again. Sliding downward after the tight squeeze, he was now in a large expanse, a room filled with items of wealth and walls decked out with knowledge and images of the days of long past.

Lighting the three torch spires that were already present on the walls, the room illuminated to that which tied this young woman to the 'nameless pharaoh'...images of creatures known in the present times as Duel Monsters. Scanning the walls, Marik tried to decipher some of the many writings, scriptures, and stories that the walls spoke. He was seeking names and events familiar to him from his studies of his own people and ancient texts.

Like the Nameless Pharaoh, the walls spoke tales of a young queen with a short, tragic life. It spoke highly of her devotion and sacrafice. She was an ideal match for the young king as her deeds and persona walked a parallel path with that of her husband's. Marik grew tense and excited at the same time. He continued to read with haste. He was looking for more names...anything that would indicated that this young couple had secured a future for a bloodline that would transgress time. There was no mention of any offspring. Then as Marik came to the final wall before entering the next chamber, his eyes lit wide with shock. As the tale of this queen continued, it indicated what became of her after her husband had sacraficed his life. Following the texts anxiously, Marik read as fast as he could to seek the results. Suddenly there was a change in the heiroglyphic writings. It was as if another had decided to continue this story rather than the original writer. Like the tombs of the kings, the queens too, had their tombs developed while they were still alive. It was now quite obvious that the young queen continued her life after her husband's 'passing.'

As Marik read the continuation of the amazing tale, he could envision the events as they took place. There was turmoil and fear during the great battle. The young queen was ruling the kingdom as her husband and his priests and army did battle with a massive, evil darkness. Buildings shattered, walls crumbled, fear spread throughout the palace and nearby villages as the powers of the darkness and gods of light locked in combat. Chaos was ensuing and the young queen, already scared for her husband's safety, was finding it nearly impossible to maintain order in a place that no longer seemed to have order. She had followed her husband's commands of which he had sent via messenger days prior. The king had arrived at Kuru Eruna Village...a now dead village to do battle with a thief that possessed a deadly powerful kaa. He told her the other priests were sure to follow him, as they did, and that she was entrusted with the affairs of the kingdom until their return. The last time she had saw her husband, he was rushing off on horseback in the darkness of the night with a summoned god, a mighty red dragon above him.

She later received word from a written band tied to her husband's hunting falcon. It told her to try to get as many people from the nearby villages and palace to evacuate, to get as far away from the area as they could or seek safety across the Nile in the Valley of the Kings. She, and many devoted palace residents and villagers remained to assist in the evacuation then chose to stay and protect the region from looters, bandits, and any others who would try to take advantage of the situation. It was a lost cause however, as all around them began to crumble. Now those who remained by her side, began to flee. The west side of the palace had already fallen as did two temples and many village buildings. Upon knowing that she could do no more, the young queen sought safety as well.

Marik cursed as the story dropped off from that point. He needed to know who or what went with the queen! But now he was curious as to who wrote the continuation of this tale? Who was near enough the queen at every moment to be able to recollect her tale in such detail? Marik scanned the adjacent walls and any small glyphs around the tale area for a name of the writer, but like so much that surrounded the Nameless Pharaoh, anonymity was the norm. The writer apparently didn't want to be known. The tale had ended there and so did the chamber.

With a sigh of defeat, Marik suddenly noticed a small antechamber hidden behind a pillar and jutting wall. Entering slowly, he found it to be dark and cramped, like a room dug hastily or unfinished. But, it had writings upon its walls so he sought the beginning of the texts in that particular room. As he looked upward, scanning the writings upon the walls, he tripped into something and fell flat on his face. Cursing in a manner that would demand a cleansing of his mouth, Marik flashed torchlight upon the item that caused his predicament. Staring him in his face was a statue of a sitting jackal...not Anubis, but a golden jackal with curious symbols upon it and the animal itself seemed to posses the black spots of a leopard, most unusual since jackals did not have spots. The pedastal upon which it rested also had writings upon it. Marik's eyes went wide once again. This was a room that was created in secret, by someone other than those who created this resting place for the queen. Before reading the texts, Marik scanned the statue carefully. It could be a trap afterall. Upon the forehead of the animal was a symbol very familiar to Marik...the symbol of an eye. It was the very same eye that graced the Millenium items and anything else related to the Nameless Pharaoh. The jackal bore a curious collar. Why would even a statue of a wild beast bear a collar? Marik noticed upon the collar was some more heiroglyphs and surprisingly...a cartouche! Marik read the name, but he knew not of whose name it was. The queen's? The king's? Somebody else's? Returning to the pedestal, there was an interesting raised symbol upon it. Marik touched it. As he did so, the symbol moved, like a button. The pedestal of the statue shifted and slid backward to reveal a little chamber with perfectly preserved papyrus scrolls inside! Marik gently opened one of the scrolls and began to read:

Dearest mother, a legacy I leave you, a bloodline I continue, and tears of forgiveness, longing, and love, I give you. Rest now and be graced in the afterlife. We will meet again...someday. I leave you the tales of my life as perhaps in your heart, I never died. I will rest here with you upon my own death as it is my rightful place by blood. I will await father's resurrection by your side. May our bloodline be the greatest that ever was or shall be!

I will assure preservation and protection of you, father, and the knowledge and the mystical powers of kaa and baa. No matter how hard they try, nobody will rid the existence of our bloodline or the wonderous realm of dueling creatures! This is my oath and duty as my blood and destiny wills it.

It was signed by the same name that Marik read upon the cartouche.

Marik used his torch and flashlight to illuminate as much of he could of the antechamber. In a far indented corner, it did indeed possess a tomb. This room, however appeared to be handcarved and excavated by hand...perhaps by the very hand of the writer of these scrolls! Marik flashed light everywhere quickly, trying to take in what a wonderous find he had discovered! He wanted to scamper out and run to his sister to show her this amazing and important find, but he had to calm himself. He could do so in due time. Right now, he had to seek the answers to the questions that raced in his mind.

Elsewhere...

Yugi was towel drying his hair as he entered his room once again. The bit-cooler-than-usual shower did its job in cooling off his body from the ancient pharaoh's heated dream.

//Aibou?//

/You're not asleep yet?/

//I can't stop thinking about these dreams.//

/Obviously./

//Why are they occurring so consistently now? What do they mean?//

/They're your dreams. You tell me./

The spirit released himself from the Puzzle and assumed a more visible appearance to Yugi. Now, Yugi could see the concern and worry in the pharaoh's eyes. The dreams were indeed bothering the usually stoic king.

"Yami, like you say, all will come in time. Maybe the dreams are necessary events that need to play out in order to help you get your memory back?" Yugi said as he tried to comfort the concerned spirit.

"Perhaps, but they bother me nonetheless."

"You and me both. I guess we need a distraction."

"Like what?"

"Well...I got it! Let me call Joey and the others. Maybe a night out can be enough to lighten the mood and make us forget about it...at least for a little while."

The ancient spirit nodded in agreement as Yugi threw the wet towel towards the spirit, which of course, went right through him, and dashed out of the room to the telephone.

Ancient Egypt...3000 years in the past.

As the sun set, Anhur returned with his father for the evening meal. The chores of the day were complete and Anhur was curious and restless in awaiting the knowledge his mother had promised him earlier in the day.

"Anhur, please do not gulp your meal down like that. You could send yourself to your own death by food!" Anhur's 'mother' said as the young man shovelled food down his throat at an amazing rate.

He chewed and swallowed the food before responding to his mother. The young man had uncanny manners despite his age and upbringing! "I am sorry mother." he replied though his eyes showed her the eagerness and curiousity of things to come.

"What did you do to your hair Anhur? I do not remember those streaks of dark color in your hair before. And have you brushed it recently? You have strands going everywhere." his 'mother' asked as she changed the subject to distract the boy from the 'other' subject.

"My hair? I hadn't noticed. As for brushing it, it does no good really. Those strands never lay down." Anhur replied as he tried to pull some strands forward into his line of sight. He failed miserably. Though he had shoulder length hair, it still would not give him a good look at it.

His 'father' gave his wife a look of sorrow. The boy's true father had multi-colored and spikey hair. Perhaps the son was now going to appear even more like his real father. That could prove troublesome. "Perhaps we should cut it. Then you would not have to deal with the hassles." he suggested.

"No father! I do NOT want to be bald or have some cut like the rest of the people! I like my hair just as it is! I will simply tie it back if it becomes a problem."

"If you get bugs in it, it WILL be cut. Got that young man!"

"I will NOT get bugs! I'm very careful and I wash it daily!"

Anhur's adoptive parents shrugged in defeat. The boy was already set in his ways and possessed a commanding tone that all seemed to follow whether it was for the good or for the bad. He was a natural leader. He was becoming more and more like his real father with each rising and setting of the sun both physically and mentally.

Once all had eaten their fill, Anhur was directed to clean the dinnerware and plates while his 'parents' discussed the upcoming subject in another room. Anhur tried to listen in, but they spoke in a hushed tone. All he could do was wait and hope that their decision would be the one he sought.

In a few minutes that spanned enternity for Anhur, his 'father' entered the kitchen area. "Son, we have decided we will discuss the matter with you tonight. Be prepared though, much of which we will tell you could strike you a blow. And most of all, do not be angry with us for waiting until now to mention all this to you."

Anhur nodded and gulped. He was excited and frightened at the same time. He just hoped his meal stayed down. He followed his 'father' by his side as he led the young man out of the kitchen and to the room where his 'mother' sat with a look of sorrowful concern upon her face.

Anhur took a seat across from them and tried to get comfortable. It was to no avail however. The looks on both his parents' faces were cause for his own concern. This subject was a serious matter indeed.

"We don't know where to begin son. Well, maybe that's a good starting point. Should we just be blunt?"

"I'm going to have to confront the news whether is is alluded to or stated obviously. I am prepared for whichever way you choose to present it. Pick a manner which is most comfortable for you." Anhur replied.

"So be it. I hope you are the man I think you are as these blows may be sharper than a sword could ever be."

Anhur gulped again. Was the news really that serious!?

"Well, this subject begins way back at your birth. You see, there were events in play that would affect the entire kingdom. A new and young pharaoh had taken rulership of the kingdom after his father's death and as with any change of power, the kingdom was in a bit of unrest and unease..."

'Why was his 'father' suddenly talking about royalty and kings!? What did this have to do with him?' Anhur wondered inside, but remained quiet and allowed his 'father' to continue.

"The young king took a queen quickly as a need to produce an heir was vital, especially to a king so young. And having a wife would appeal to the people as a show of his maturity." Anhur's mother added.

"But there was unrest within the palace walls and---" his father started, but was cutoff by a bang upon their home's door. The elder man stood and walked over to the door and answered it.

"The king requests the presence of your son." the royal guard commanded.

"My son? Why?"

"I am just the messenger. Bring forth your son now."

Upon hearing the conversation between his father and the guard, Anhur stood and appeared at the doorway. " I am his son." Anhur replied without a hint of concern.

"Come with me. The pharaoh wishes to speak to you. Consider it a great honor to be called upon personally by the king."

Ahnur exchanged a concerned glance with his father before nodding and following the guard out of the residence.

Ahnur's 'father' watched as long as he could as his son was escorted to the palace. The guard did not treat him roughly so it was a sign that it wasn't an arrest or anything of that sort. But, as Anhur's mother joined her husband at the door, they exchanged a worried look. What exactly would the pharaoh want with their son? And...would their son's true identity remain hidden from all even now?

to be continued...