If You Feel Better

Chapter 55

Bakura's crony was shuffled into the courtroom, forced to his knees in front of the pharaoh's throne. They had hauled him all the way from Nekfu to the capital city to have him interrogated at the king's feet. He had been forced to walk the entire way as well, dragged by a rope connected to his bound wrists. He had been given no time to rest, no water to drink, and no shade from the sun. He was shown no mercy, expecting nothing less from those loyal to the pharaoh.

He recognized all of the people in the room, having engaged in countless entanglements with them over the years. The six priests, the royal vizier, and the pharaoh himself. All eyes were on him, glaring down at him like the criminal he was, while he kept his chin low until his hood was forcefully yanked back, revealing his face whether he liked it or not. His hands were tied behind his back with thin cord and a guard stood on each side, holding his shoulders down promptly. He was forced to bow to the pharaoh, weakened from beatings and dehydration during his journey.

"My pharaoh," one of the guards said, kneeling with his hand over his heart to the king. "We were able to capture one of Bakura's men. We had a decoy pretend to have information on the princess and ambushed him. We have brought him to you for questioning."

The pharaoh and the man both eyed each other with menacing gazes. As far as Bakura's man was concerned, the pharaoh was equally guilty for his life's suffering as the previous king, being the leader and decider of all that goes on in Egypt. He hated the pharaoh almost as much as Bakura did, and if he had had the means, he would've attacked him on the spot.

The pharaoh narrowed his eyes at him and spoke "Tell me, if I ask you questions, are you going to answer them willingly or are you going to refuse?"

The man narrowed his eyes back and answered "There is nothing you can offer me to make it worth my while. I am a doomed man no matter what you decide to do with me."

"What do you mean you are a 'doomed man'?" Priest Seto asked, holding the blades of the Millenium Rod up to his neck.

Feeling unthreatened, the man continued "If I do not answer, you will kill me. If you release me, Bakura will kill me. He tolerates no one that falls to the royals' hands. He takes no chances that someone has spoken to officials."

"So then why not just speak since he has forsaken you?" Shada asked.

The man glared at him, shifting his focus away from the pharaoh for a brief moment. "There is a reason I have chosen Bakura over the pharaoh." He turned back to the ruler, attempting to lurch out of the guards' hands, but failing miserably. "I renounce my loyalty to you and your ilk. I would rather see Bakura triumph with my sacrifice than you continue to reign for even another day. I will offer no help in discovering the princess."

"So, you do have information about her?" the pharaoh questioned, sifting for hints between the man's words. "Otherwise I would see no reasoning in your persistence to refuse us rather than convince us you know nothing."

"Maybe I do. Maybe I don't. But no matter the truth, I will not help you! Bakura will succeed in his plans to overthrow you! He will bring darkness and despair to your merciless country, just as it deserves! May he reign long and may you rot into nothing!"

The pharaoh let out a low growl before smashing his fist on his armrest and shouting "Take him to the dungeons and extract some answers! I want him talking by the end of the night!"

"Yes, my pharaoh!" the priests answered in unison before taking the prisoner away, who spit at the king's feet in disgust as one final act of defiance as he was dragged to meet his fate.

As the pharaoh watched this man get heaved away, he wove his fingers together with a sigh. Even if this man was a degenerate and a thief, he was still a citizen of Egypt. He was still someone he held responsibility for. He had promised himself that he would never use torture against one of his own people. He wanted to be a peaceful king, one that would rule properly and avoid using physical methods of punishment whenever possible.