Ascension [A Yu-Gi-Oh! FanFiction]

9: Teach

Atem felt strange finding himself in the prayer hall for the third time in one week, and stranger still when he thought about why he was there this time: Shimon had roused him early in the morning, eager to conduct a "rehearsal" of the wedding ritual ahead of the real thing. Atem thought it was a bit premature, seeing as how it was still three days before Satiah would arrive, and another four more before they would be married. But when Atem saw the shine of excitement in the old man's eyes, he simply couldn't deny him — Shimon had been teacher and mentor to both princes since their birth, so life events and traditions like this were important to him. Besides — the prayer hall was becoming a favorite haunt of Atem's in recent days, and he couldn't pass up a chance to pay Ibi an unscheduled visit.

While Shimon busied himself explaining in excruciating detail how and when and at what exact speed he should enter the prayer hall at the start of the ceremony, Atem peered down each aisle they passed, looking for any sign of Ibi. A clouded sky above made it much darker than normal inside the hall that day, and with it being so early, not many candles had been lit beneath the statues yet. They passed the shrine of Sekhmet, and Atem smiled in reminiscence. When he closed his eyes, he saw the dazzling smile Ibi had given him when she donned the headdress, and in his mind he heard her laughter floating through the air like a bird's song.

Atem froze when, just then, Ibi's voice truly did reach his ears. It was not the cheerful chorus he was used to hearing, however — but rather a sharp dissonance of anger and hurt, clamoring over the words of another. He snapped his head toward the source, having to squint through the darkness down an aisle of statues to barely make out Ibi's form against a weakly flickering candle. She was standing face to face with a man dressed in priestly attire, and both were gesticulating wildly at one another.

The sight caused Atem's stomach to turn. It was uncanny to see Ibi so angry — like witnessing the Nile run dry. He strained his ears to make out what she and the priest were arguing about, but their words were garbled, swallowed by the cavernous darkness. It felt like time was slowing to a stop as he watched, until the priest finally threw his arms up and spun around, disappearing behind a nearby statue. As if she felt his presence, Ibi turned and met Atem's eyes. Instantly, he felt as though an arrow had pierced his heart. She offered no smile, no calm reassurance in her gaze — just the remnants of her sobering anger.

"Atem!"

Shimon's voice invaded his thoughts and dragged his eyes back down the aisle he had been walking just a moment before. The vizier was ahead of him by several paces now, looking perturbed. Atem ignored him and looked back into the darkness, just in time to see Ibi storming off in the opposite direction.

"Are you even paying attention?" Shimon hissed, marching back to where Atem stood.

"Sorry," Atem muttered, blinking and turning away from the darkness again.

Shimon sighed and put his hands on his hips. "You seem distracted, my prince," he said. "Is there something on your mind?"

"Just...nervous about the ceremony."

Shimon gave him a pitying look. "Don't be silly. You'll do fine," he said, patting Atem on the shoulder. "Or you will — if you listen to my instructions and remember your marks!"

Atem forced a smile and followed Shimon as he continued down the pathway, muttering about offerings and incense and prayers. But Atem's mind was already gone again, drifting back to Ibi's bristling glare. He tried to imagine what could have caused her such angst. The most plausible answer was that it was just a quarrel between employer and worker — the priests oversaw the maintenance and upkeep of the prayer hall, after all. But there was something in her eyes, in the venomous tone of her voice, that told him it was something deeper.