Welcome back! Today is the day that the conspirators against the Pharaoh will be put on trial. This one was kind of fun to write, though I'll warn you now that we aren't going to see every single trial, just a couple of high points.

Enjoy!

Three days later, Yami stood beside his father's throne alongside the Item Bearers with the exception of Seto who was riding to the Syrian border to evaluate the situation. Today was the day all of the traitors would stand trial, and the day that Yami would be exposed as one hundred percent loyal to his father.

Mahaddo had dressed him in his most formal and intimidating attire for this trial. The diadem resting on his head felt both familiar and strange. The one he wore as Pharaoh was larger; this one was clearly meant for the Prince. It made him wonder what had happened to it after he became Pharaoh. Did it passed on to whoever the next prince was or did it simply get lost in the sands of time? Maybe it got taken to his tomb when it was being built. He made a mental note to ask Malik and Ishizu about it the next time he saw them.

Currently though, the whereabouts of the diadem was taking a back seat to the impending trials. Yami was beyond ready for this to be over with. If he had to have one more "discreet" meeting with these people and listen to "a-thousand-and-one-ways-to-kill-the-Pharaoh", he was sure he would go certifiably crazy.

"Are you sure you want to be here for this?" Aknamkanon whispered to him as the scribes gathered off to the side and the guards took up their positions.

"Absolutely," Yami replied, his expression hard, "They deserve everything that's coming to them."

"You've made a lot of enemies for my sake," his father's voice softened, "You'll face a lot of trouble for it, especially when you become Pharaoh."

Yami wanted to tell his father that these would not be the first enemies he made in his life, and hardly the first time people would want to kill him. Instead he offered a grim smile, "We should have them all, so I don't expect any future trouble from this particular group. In any case, I'll be fine. I've got a lot of people watching my back for me."

"That you do," the Pharaoh agreed and turned back to face the room. Outside in the antichamber stood all twenty-seven people who had ended up marked by Mahaddo's spell. "Let's get this over with. We have a long day ahead of us."

"Bring in the first accused!" Kalim called.

The doors opened and the first person was escorted in at spear point, hand bound behind his back. Yami had a terrible flashback to when he was in the same position, but he reminded himself that this was an actual criminal who had conspired against the Pharaoh. He was sure that if he could feel the Shadows, they would be demanding these souls for their transgressions.

The man was roughly shoved to his knees before the throne, the spears moved away slightly, but were still near enough to be effectively threatening.

"State your name and occupation for the records."

"My name is, Asor, my lord. I am but a humble bread maker."

"You stand before the Court accused of treason by trying to kill our Pharaoh," Akhenaden accused.

"I would never!" Asor denied.

"You would!" Aknamkanon cut him off firmly, "Do you think you would be here, before my Court, if we had any doubt? Do you think I do not have a spy network of my own?"

"M-my lord?" Asor gulped.

"The sun is rising on darkness," the Pharaoh answered, eyeing the man coolly.

Asor gasped and couldn't help but glance in Yami's direction. Yami met it with a hard glare. There was a time and a place for mercy, and this was not it.

"You seem to recognize the phrase," the Pharaoh continued, "A phrase created by Prince ***** in order to identify those who were part of the rebellion against me."

"Exalted One, I - I don't –"

"Silence!" Ahmed barked, "The penalty for treason is death."

"However, there is one way to avoid such a fate," Isis offered.

"Tell us your role in this and answer our questions honestly, and we will only subject you to Trial by Shadows rather than sentencing you to death," Shimon continued.

Yami's ears perked up at "Trial by Shadows". What did that mean? Was it like Yami no Games? Or was it more like what he had been through? He repressed a shudder; either way it was not going to be pleasant for Asor. It was better than execution though.

"I serve as a messenger to Syria," Asor hastily said, "Pigeons are kept in on my roof, ready to send or receive any messages or instructions?"

"Instructions about?" Ahmed pressed.

"I - I don't know, my lord!" Asor begged, "I never read any of the notes. I swear!"

A nod from both Ahmed and Akhenaden confirmed that he was indeed being truthful. A thought suddenly hit Yami; why wasn't Isis taking a more forward role in this? With the Necklace, she should be able to know who exactly was willfully involved before they even reached the throne room and whether or not Syria was planning to invade. Ishizu definitely would have been able to tell him that. Were Isis' powers somehow weaker because she was the first Necklace Bearer? Was it that the Shadows weren't quite as strong here? Or was it that these first Bearers didn't quite know how to tap into the Shadows' full potential?

"Who came to collect and send messages?" Shimon asked.

"M-mostly it was Ramin, b-but sometimes a man named Barsheen would come instead!"

"He is one of the ones waiting outside, Pharaoh," Isis told him. There was the seemingly all-knowing power of the Necklace Yami was looking for.

Aknamkanon nodded his thanks to Isis. "You have answered honestly," he addressed the cowering Asor, "Therefore your life will be spared. Bring in the tablet for the Trial by Shadows!"

Yami tensed. This was the same thing he went through! He glanced nervously towards the Court who had taken up their positions. The Shadows suddenly surged, so strong that he could sense them without the Puzzle, and his gaze snapped to Asor who was now surrounded by Shadows.

"Father," he muttered nervously, stepping imperceptibly closer to the throne.

"Watch closely, *****," Aknamkanon muttered back, "This is the true power of the Millennium Items. The power you will one day command."

Before Yami's eyes, the form of Sonic Bird emerged from the Shadows. It was a decently strong monster, though its effect left something to be desired for in most cases, how were the Bearers going to deal with it? This was when Duel Monsters first came about, was he about to witness one of the very first duels?

Instead of fighting it, the Bearers started pushing it into the stone tablet that had been rolled out. Yami watched in amazement as the monster's image appeared on the tablet when it had fully been contained. All those carvings Pegasus found all those years ago were so much more than that! They were literally the trapped spirits of those monsters!

A few of the guards started hauling off the giant tablet while others moved to escort Asor out of the throne room. "He will spend time in the dungeons for his actions," Aknamkanon was telling him, "He'll need some time to readjust anyway."

"That's what you were trying to do to me," Yami gasped in realization, feeling slightly ill. As fascinating as it was, it still wasn't a pleasant memory for him.

"The Ka beast you saw was a manifestation of the darkness within his heart. To remove it is not pleasant, but ultimately better for the person if the darkness starts to take over," his father explained, "For now, the tablet will be the first in your collection, as will every other Ka beast extracted here today. You will be able to call upon its help when you inherit the Millennium Puzzle from me."

That threw Yami for a loop. What collection? Did his father already have one? What about the Court? How could he call monsters? Before he could ask any of these questions though, the doors opened again and the next person was escorted in.

Most of the trials followed the same format as the first one: the guilty party willing to spill their secrets in order to save their life and having the Ka beast removed from their soul. Yami was getting quite a collection that included familiar monsters like Giant Rat and Feral Imp. None of them were able to tell, however, what Ramin's ultimate goal was or what the messages he sent to Syria contained.

Some people, however, decided that death was the preferable option and were condemned to beheading the next morning. Yami cringed inwardly at the thought knowing his presence would be required, but he supposed he should be grateful his father chose the more humane execution of the options he had. There would be no prolonged drowning or burning. It would be quick and any pain they felt wouldn't last long.

Finally, after a long day of trials, it was time to bring in Ramin, the man everyone pointed to as the mastermind behind everything.

Ramin walked in, his head held high despite his bindings and the spears pointed unwavering at his neck. He held himself with confidence as he glanced at Yami, sure that he would be protected by the prince. Just as everyone before him, he had been kept in the dark about what had happened at the previous trials and so had no way of knowing how deep a hole he was in. Also just as everyone before him, he was forced to kneel before the throne, though Yami noticed it was with a bit more force than any of the others.

"State your name and occupation for the record," Kalim said for the twenty-seventh time that day.

"My name is Ramin, my lords, Great One," he addressed the full Court, "I am but a loyal servant here in the palace."

Aknamkanon sat back on his throne, as if contemplating the answer given. "You are the first man today to have the audacity to lie in front of me," he narrowed his eyes at the man in front of him, "There are many in my Court who hold the power to tell truth from lie with absolute certainty and I don't need them to know that you are a liar."

"G-great One," Ramin stammered, shooting Yami a helpless glance which Yami returned with the same cold stare he had given everyone today. No one plotted to kill his family and got away with it. Ramin would learn here and now exactly on what side Yami had always stood. "I-I did not lie. The Prince can testify for me!"

"Oh?" Aknamkanon raised his eyebrows with mock interest and turned to Yami.

This trial particularly had been rehearsed by both Pharaoh and Prince. Yami had insisted they be ready for any kind of curveball Ramin would try to throw their way and also be able to counter and throw him off balance. Ramin would certainly try to spin a tale full of half-truths and attempt to twist their words in order to save his own life. Any man who would lead a coup against a king would also have the audacity to lie in front of one.

"Everything he said is true, father," Yami replied courteously as Ramin grinned widely at the apparently support of the prince, "His name is Ramin, he is a servant in the palace, and he is loyal. However, his loyalty does not lie with you, me, or Egypt. His loyalty is to Syria, his country of origin."

Ramin gaped as his safety net was pulled from under him. He had come in thinking the prince would protect him and instead he'd just thrown him to a bask of hungry crocodiles.

"This matches what we have learned from the others," Ahmed informed the general court, though his gaze did not waver from Ramin.

"So I am to die then?" Ramin asked boldly. He wasn't stupid. He had been accused by the prince and his word was one of two people in the room that could not be questioned, but he wasn't going to go down quietly, "Can I assume the prince will join me in my cell while I wait? After all, you cannot execute one traitor while letting anot–"

He was cut off by a guard hitting him across the face with his spear, leaving a river of blood to fall from his cheek. "Do not disrespect the Prince!" he rebuked.

Ramin chuckled darkly, "And why not? He is as much a traitor as I am. If I am to be sentenced to death, I will not go alone!"

Unfortunately for him, none of the Court, or even the Pharaoh, so much as glanced in Yami's direction. Why should they? Most of them had had a turn listening in on one of the many meetings Yami had had with Ramin over the past few days and reported everything they heard directly to the Pharaoh. They knew exactly what was going on.

"If you are referring to your meetings with the Prince to discuss overthrowing the kingdom, we are well aware of everything that happened," Akhenaden informed him, "You see, one of us was present at each one."

Ramin's face told Yami all he needed to know. Not only was his safety net gone, but so was his trump card. He was nearly a broken man after learning how he had been played. Yami had to smirk inwardly; the game might have been dangerous, but to be honest, the level of gameplay wasn't too difficult.

Aknamkanon gestured to Yami to make his move, which Yami gladly did. "Here is what I will offer you," he said to Ramin, whose head snapped up, "You have information that we need. Tell us truthfully, and I will plead for your life from the Pharaoh. You will certainly spend the rest of your days in prison, but you'll be alive. What do you choose?"

The traitor gulped, looking between the prince and the rest of the Court before slowly nodding. "What do you want to know?" he surrendered, defeat evident in his voice.

Yami immediately jumped on the opportunity, "What did you send in the letters to Syria? Are they planning to attack?"

"The plan was to kill the Pharaoh and wait for the prince to take the throne. With a new, inexperience king on the throne, conquering Egypt should have been easy. The Syrians are gathering at the border, waiting for my next letter letting them know the Pharaoh is dead and his son sits on the throne," Ramin admitted, "However, the last letter I received from them told me they planned to invade on the new moon, success of my mission be damned."

"Do you still have the letter?" Yami demanded, "Were there details of the attack?"

"They don't share details with me," Ramin shook his head, "The letter burned, just as every letter I received before."

"This is the truth," Ahmed announced. Yami turned to see well disguised shock and horror on the faces of the Court.

It was time to uphold his end of the bargain then. Yami approached the throne and knelt respectfully. "Father, I plead for this man's life. For all his plotting, he has not managed to actually harm either of us yet and the information he has given us will allow us to save countless lives."

"Granted," Aknamkanon smiled proudly at his son, "He shall face the Trial by Shadows and live out the rest of his days in the dungeons!"

Yami breathed a sigh of relief as the last stone tablet was rolled out. One crisis averted, but his relief was short lived at the thought of an invading army in less than two weeks. Why couldn't he ever catch a break?

I know the trials seemed a little short, but I felt like I was getting long-winded and repetitive if they weren't. I actually thought about having someone thrown to the crocodiles to be torn apart (instead of beheading), but I figured that was a little too gruesome for Yami to be okay with, even if it was against someone trying to kill his dad.

Please review :)