YGO PSL | ❝ the last train home. ❞

[baeyek]

PEACE

( cont from here)

Man does not change, regardless of the time we inhabit. I am certain that is a fact you have come to understand all too well.

[ For all the harshness that the Pharaoh has faced? It seems as if he has experienced a kindness as well. Something gentle despite the sea that he threw himself into with the battle against Zorc. The whole game was a gamble from the start. While Bayek knew little of the details, he was aware that none should find the Millennium Pendant and the tomb that would have belonged to Atem. The Medjay would guard the Valley of the Kings and Seto had made sure that Bayek understood the greater stakes even as Egypt was plunged into chaos as she strove to reestablish herself after the great battle with Zorc. None were to find the tomb and none were to find the name of the Pharaoh before Seto. None were even allowed to speak it with the magic that stood in place.

Such details, Bayek believes, are best if not shared. The Pharaoh seems lost in his own way, despite the fact he has found his way to where his soul might be at peace. ]

Ha! Climbing and exploring the forgotten things of our kingdom became something that was normal in my later days. Though, I would often over look Thebes as I passed through.

[ A sigh. ] It was an impossibly large task... one that we succeeded in. However, the cost was great upon our hearts.

[ Bayek falls silent until they have reached the top of the cliffs. On a rock overlooking Thebes is a small red blanket, candles, and bowls. It is clearly a place that Bayek has set up to rest for even the smallest amount of time. He slips off from the camel and offers a hand to aid Atem down onto the rocks beneath them. Then, he gestures for the young Pharaoh to take his seat and overlook the city beneath him.

Then, he settles himself on the blanket. ]

For all that Aya and I achieved... it was done apart. We were not reunited until both of us found ourselves in the A'aru. [ A frown pulls at his face as he looks out over the setting. ] We stayed in contact, but, our lives were never drawn back together in the land of the living.

As for your ability to fly... you seem to have enjoyed it.

Comments

[ifthereiswill]

[ Atem merely nods his agreement with that. Man certainly doesn't change, regardless of the time or place in which they live. After all, in the modern world, he saw so much greed and anger and the effects of both. And in all fairness, he had his moments of anger as well. He might be Pharaoh, and he might have been a spirit in his time among the living, but he wasn't a paragon of moral behavior either.

If Bayek were to relate what he knows about events that transpired after his being sealed away, Atem might have found himself troubled by all of it, but at the same time, part of him most likely anticipated a period of unrest as Egypt under Seto's reign tried to find some sense of normalcy, if that was even possible.

As he listens to Bayek, his gaze falls until he's looking at his hands, a pensive expression slipping into place. ] Don't most tasks that are meant to bring about change come along with a great cost?

[ Their circumstances might be different, but both of them have done things that came with a great cost that weighed heavily on both them and (he supposes) on those around them. He doubts that what Bayek and Aya did affected only them, even if they presumably carried the worst of it.

Once they've reached the top of the cliffs and Bayek helps him down and takes his place upon the blanket, Atem joins him there, looking out at the city below. ]

I'm sorry. [ Of course, there is no reason for him to apologize, because the parting between Bayek and Aya couldn't have been helped, but he still feels a sense of sadness when he ponders what Bayek has just told him. ]

Yes. [ He thinks back to his first flight. ] I had never experienced anything like it before, but I did enjoy it. [ It was a sensation he'd never imagined he'd feel, and he can't help but think of it as the closest he's going to come to flying as a bird would.

Then he gives Bayek a sidelong glance. ]

Could you- Would you be willing to answer a question for me? [ He expects the other man to refuse, and there's even a part of him that doesn't wish to know. ]

[baeyek]

[ Bayek himself is far from perfect. His quest started as revenge for losing his son; anger, retribution, justice. It grew into something more as he realized that the war he chose to wage would never end. There was a legacy he had to put in place - a creed that would stand the test of time. He wonders if there is something similar that Atem has left behind to those he knew in the land of the living...

Ah, perhaps that is not his place to ask .]

They are. However, the cost that started it all... was one I wish we had never paid.

[ He lets a silence fall for a brief moment, then two. ] The Order of the Ancients would have found a way to corrupt and choke your reign if you did not have a great evil to defeat. The life Aya and I led... it was what Shai had willed. The tragedy would have perhaps changed, but, we would have walked with Amun to allow those who could not fight a chance at freedom.

[ His eyes go upwards towards the sky. The sun has begun to set, and Senu hovers far above. He has never wondered what it is like to fly. If only because he can become one with Senu and see through her eyes. His thoughts are cut short as Atem poses his question. He turns his head to the young Pharaoh and smirks. ]

That is a question in itself to answer! [ That smirk turns into grin. ] It would be an honor, Atem. What is it that weighs on your mind?

[ifthereiswill]

[ For reasons Atem himself isn't even sure of, he finds himself comparing himself to Bayek. It's a little bit that he's feeling some measure of uncertainty now, and he barely understands why that is, but Bayek seems considerably more confident than he does. Perhaps that's because of the difference in age between them, but it also seems to Atem that Bayek has had far more living experience than he has. That's also understandable, since he didn't live very long, but that's what makes Atem wonder about his own capability as a ruler when he was alive.

As for what legacy he left behind in the living world, Atem likes to believe his friends will remember him and will continue being the kind and strong people that he knows them to be. They were always that way, even before he met them, so he has no doubts about that particular subject.

He can't speak to the kind of cost that Bayek had to come to grips with, but he can relate to wishing that paying it hadn't been necessary. He supposes that it might well be a different sort of cost, because in his case, he thought he was doing what was best for his people, and so he doesn't regret it. Something tells him that Bayek can't say the same, at least not entirely. ]

I suppose that needing to deal with that great evil gave them an opportunity, and they took it. [ Because his attentions, and nearly everyone else's, were focused on Zorc's. It's not difficult to imagine that those with nefarious intentions would have seen his distraction and used that to their advantage. If only he could have seen that at the time and had counter-measures put in place. ]

You and Aya are honorable people. [ He'd already reached that conclusion just based on his interactions with Bayek so far, and now he has no doubt of it, even though it seems that both of them have carried out their share of darker actions in their time. At least in that respect, they aren't so different. And yet he knows that he still can view them with respect. ]

Oh, yes, so it is. [ He returns Bayek's grin with relative ease. ] If you had the opportunity to choose, would you rather have worked in the shadows to achieve your goals, or... [ He hesitates, wondering if what he's asking might offend the other man. ] I mean to say that a public position might provide more resources. [ And potentially opening up avenues for further trouble and creating enemies. There's benefits and consequences to both. ]

[baeyek]

[ Age matters not. One can live as long as Bayek had and not lived a true day in their lives. No, what matters is what life they lived. Atem's mortal life had been short, but it had been filled with a duty to his people. The Pharaoh had given the ultimate sacrifice for them. Not just his life, but the potential of his eternal life. Bayek knows, of course, the lengths that Seto took to make sure Atem would not be robbed of his life continuing in the A'aru. Their sacrifices may have been similar but they certainly are different and impacted those around them differently. ]

They believed in an Egypt that you would not agree to. One that would force your people into their ideals and their ways of life. Peace, but through complacency. Peace and stability through their means and ways and nothing more.

[ He chuckles then, flexing the hand with the deformed middle finger. A sign that he has pledged himself to Amun for eternity. It may have been an accident by mishandling the weapon on his arm, but, it became something else. ]

Perhaps... perhaps we are not. Our deeds did not weigh our hearts down enough to keep us from the A'aru. Even if I had made my peace with never seeing this land.

[ Bayek closes his eyes as he considers such an idea. Then, after a moment, he raises his eyes to the slowly turning sky above. ]

Our goals... our creed must work outside the boundaries of government. To be tied to one system of rule... [ he raises a hand to his chin to think. ] The Creed is one that speaks of personal freedom, but the cost that it must bring. There are those who do not need to be aware of such battles; the ones we fight for. The Hidden Ones stand to protect those from tyranny in any form. Placing our Creed in the hands of an official office would bring ire if we had need to cut off the hand that fed us.

[ Then, he smiles again at Atem from beneath his hood. ]

That does not stop a Medjay from once again holding a place in the public.

[ifthereiswill]

[ Well, he's right about that, and that particular sacrifice is one that he'd make over again without hesitation. He wanted everything to be well for his people, and while part of him knows that he had no way of controlling what happened after he was gone, he still wouldn't change a thing. That small voice in his head still tells him that sacrifice isn't what makes a capable ruler, but he tries to ignore that and focus on Bayek's words instead. ]

You're right, that is not something I would have agreed to. [ As Pharaoh, he would have had to lead and make decisions for his people, but at the same time, even if this means he might have been a naive ruler, he still would have wanted them to have some measure of autonomy. Perhaps now he's looking back on things through a more modern lens, thanks to his time among the living in the modern world, but he can't see a point in living in a world where someone else dictates how other people get to live their lives. There should be guidance, yes, but not rigid restrictions. ] I wanted better for them.

[ Atem's eyes travel to Bayek's hand and what's left of his middle finger. The significance is still lost on him, but clearly it means something to the other man.

And as he continues to speak, that thought that maybe Atem is far too naive to have been fit to rule returns. In light of what Bayek is saying, he wonders if maybe his own ideas are too foolish to be practical. ]

I see. [ He turns those words over in his mind as he attempts to process and understand them. ] I see why such a thing wouldn't be possible.

[ But even as he says that, he continues to ponder the possibilities and how a Medjay with a public position would work. ]

/mwehe slips in before bed/ and dangit, its ring finger not middle, i can't type

[baeyek]

Things were better... a stronger Egypt came forward. Time, sacrifice, the ability to rule. You chose your successor well, Atem. Do not doubt your own choice or part in all of it. Had you not faced Zorc in the manner that you did? There would be no Egypt. I know little of the world in which you were bound to, but, it in no doubt was shaped by its ancient history. As was the Egypt we knew.

[ The once Medjay raises his hand to wave off the worries that might cloud the young Pharaoh's mind. ]

Our Creed was made and decided up on years after the events of your battle. Loss and hard lessons were learned. I do not blame you for your curiosity or your questions. After all, there is no need for a Hidden One in the A'aru. A Medjay, however, may still be needed. Unless the Pharaoh would do away with protectors in a place of land and peace.

[ There is a playful smile on his face at that. Khemu had always wanted to be a Medjay. Perhaps meeting the Pharaoh he would have served - had all gone very differently - would be enough. Convincing the young king would be another matter.

Then, the playful smile melds into something more gentle. One that a father might have as he knows what he might request could be difficult for Atem to answer. In fact, he might not wish to answer or speak of it at all. Bayek would not blame him for such a thing. He, however, had promised to deliver a gift and he would see the duty done. ]

As you remain Pharaoh, I remain Medjay. I travel the A'aru as I need. Rarely do the soldiers that protect it show their faces, but, there are times... especially when there are those that would seek to rise us from our place here. [ The stories of Isidora and her attempt to raise those from the Field of Reeds are perhaps left for another time. Still, he wonders if that is part of why he travels through the A'aru. A restlessness in his own soul knowing that there are those who would disturb the souls here. There should be no need for a Medjay, and yet, he feels that there must be now that the duties of the Hidden Ones have passed to generation after generation. ] Those soldiers gathered near the borders of Thebes not so long ago. The day your Ka had walked the edges of the Duat. I had watched from the shadows; ready to intervene if they had attacked you. They instead kept their distance as a woman escorted you to the Palace boundaries. Who was she?

[ He doubts she is a threat as she returned the Pharaoh to them... and gave Bayek a gift to give. With the fore-mention of the aid Pharaoh Seto requested to Greece? He would rather know how the pieces fall together. ]

[ifthereiswill]

In a way, I wish that I could have seen that Egypt. [ Of course, the Egypt that he's seeing here seems so very vibrant and alive that it's not too hard for him to imagine what the Egypt that Bayek speaks of looked like. ] But that was the point of it all, wasn't it? To save Egypt for those who still had years ahead of them, and also for those who would come after. [ When framed that way, of course he has no regrets. Not that he's really built for having them, but this is one thing among many that he certainly does not regret. ]

I hardly think that it's my place to do away with anything, let alone a position such as the one you speak of. [ And yes, he knows how that sounds. As Pharaoh, all he has to do is wave his hand and issue a decree, and everything will be as he says it should be. But he doesn't want to be that kind of ruler. ]

If retaining your position as Medjay is what you wish, then of course I see no problem with it. [ And if Bayek wishes for himself and Khemu to meet, he has no problems with that either. ]

A ruler might travel about their realm either in plain view or disguised. [ He's mostly thinking aloud right now, as his thoughts travel to the possibility of accompanying Bayek on his ventures at some point. Assuming the other man doesn't mind having a companion, of course. But perhaps that's irrelevant, as isn't that what they're doing right now? ]

A woman? [ He knows which woman he speaks of, of course. But he takes that second's time to try and gather his own thoughts on the matter. ] She was- She is someone I became very close to when I still was among the living.

[ "Close" doesn't even begin to describe it, but he's not quite finished yet either. Perhaps Bayek doesn't wish to hear him wax on at length about the relationship he had formed, so by pausing, he's giving him the opportunity to redirect the conversation. ]

[baeyek]

It took a great deal of time for that Egypt to rise. Your sacrifice is what gave birth to it. Like the mighty phoenix, Egypt finds a way to renew herself with every passing age and foe.

Medjay were created to protect the tombs; the Pharaoh himself. I see no reason why such a thing would be needed in A'aru. Want is a powerful thing within itself. [ Meaning, of course, that should Atem wish the Medjay to remain then they would. ] Khemu had wanted to be a Medjay. Perhaps I will bring him here to Thebes.

However you wish to travel, this old Medjay will see it done.

[ He listens carefully to the words Atem chooses for the mysterious woman. Close? Hm. Given the distraught that was on the woman's face as he escorted her... he doubts it is merely close. ]

Close, hm? She must be a fine woman to catch your eye. I seem to recall a young Pharaoh who had little interest in marrying when he took the throne.