Author's Note: Welcome to the last chapter. I'd like to thank you all for taking the time to read this and review. I can safely say that this was one of my favorite stories to write and I'm glad that so many people enjoyed it. Thanks again and enjoy the last chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or Dragonheart; they are the property of their respective owners. I do, however, own bits of the plot and Kysen.

Epilogue: The Beginning

This is a tale of a Knight who slew a Dragon and vanquished evil.

Atem flicked his tail back and forth, watching as Kysen tried to reach it. The twelve month old looked up at the dragon, pouting. Atem gave a soft trill, but still continued the motion. Kysen tried the pout once more before giving up. The dragon laughed, turning his head back to the doors of the chapel. About a half an hour ago, Yugi had rushed out to give Atem the sobbing Kysen before darting back in. Since the rebellion, Kysen had been insecure when one parent wasn't there for a long time, breaking into tears when he could not find the missing parent.

The dragon snapped out of his daze as people spilled from the church, most jumping as they saw him there. He tried not to roll his eyes, annoyed that he had been forgotten so easily. But, then again, some people had already forgotten why they had turned to Yugi in the first place; his mate going back to his former status as the witch's son. Strangely enough, Yugi was happy with this, being more relaxed than he had been when the people had wanted him as their king.

And, while Tèa was still remembered as a martyr, her son had slipped into obscurity. They only remembered Kysen when they had brought him to the castle. And then they would get the exclamations of how adorable he was; all while Atem was stared at. He shrugged, pulling in his limbs as the people rushed past into the reception. He hadn't seen Seto or Kisara in the initial rush, but he had been too worried about moving Kysen out of the way of the mob of people who had come to attend a royal wedding.

The coronation had been just after the rebellion, Seto being set on the throne before the kingdom could dissolve into total anarchy. It was their only choice after Yugi had announced his abdication through his cousin and Seto had pointed out that no one else seemed to want the job. The months between then and now had passed in a flurry of activity as Seto tried to get his kingdom back in order before he turned any of that money to himself, much to Kisara's ire as they were expecting their second child next month.

It had been, as she had confessed to Atem, "Nothing like I expected. I had this odd expectation that I would be normal sized, for a human," she had snapped out that last part as he was snickering, "and actually have us able to do something on our honeymoon instead of me trying to convince my back not to murder me and Seto attempting to explain to Mokuba that we can't send this baby away."

When he had expressed his skepticism about Mokuba actually knowing about his upcoming sibling, Kisara had merely pointed out the many instances that he would point at his mother's stomach before pointing out the door in a demanding fashion, which had made Atem laugh until his sides hurt.

"Dada!" Atem was torn from his thoughts at Kysen's joyous shout, knowing that Yugi was coming into sight. The dragon was usually 'Tem. He smiled at his mate, going back to the gentle flicks of his tail, knowing that Kysen would eventually be distracted, giving him some time to talk to his mate. Sure enough, the little boy was chasing after his tail from his seated position.

"You torment him." Yugi said the sentence with a smile, reached out to stroke Atem. The dragon gave a purr, rubbing his head against Yugi.

"He enjoys it. Don't you, little one." Atem turned around just in time to see Kysen pouting again as the tail was moved out of is reach. Apparently becoming fed up with him, Kysen pushed up from the ground and wobbled on his feet, Atem curling his tail around the baby in case Kysen started to fall. The little boy didn't need his help as he waddling towards his father, Yugi taking a step forward before crouching on the ground, catching Kysen as he tipped over. He picked up his son, smiling as the little boy celebrated his walk halfway up the length of the dragon. Atem laughed himself, moving his head to whisper into Yugi's ear. "You weren't complaining about my torment last night, my heart."

Yugi blushed and was ready to hurry away when he caught sight of someone else emerging from the church, the sudden lack of motion from his mate drawing Atem's attention to the person. It was only Yugi's presence that kept him from snarling at Mahad as the knight crossed the courtyard. He knew that Yugi still liked Mahad, for reasons unknown to the dragon. The knight glanced over at them, brow furrowing before he walked quickly towards the prepared feast.

The knight had been furious when he found out that Yugi would not be taking the throne, instead passing it off to Seto. Mahad still couldn't understand why Yugi had avoided his duty, choosing to stay with the dragon and raise his son. The knight had confronted Yugi only once since his attempt to kill Atem that night, nearly begging Yugi to come back to the kingdom. His mate had declined again, which had led to him and Mahad in a room, shouting at each other for hours. Atem still didn't know what was said behind closed doors, Yugi refusing to tell him. But Yugi's face was enough to convince him that he didn't want to know. He had never seen his usually mild mate so angry in his life.

Yugi gave a nod of recognition to Mahad, the knight not paying him any attention. Atem snorted, restrained from making any other sound by Yugi's hand on his side. The dragon looked back at Yugi, a question in his eyes. Yugi simply shook his head, a long sigh escaping him. Kysen tightened his grip on his father, eyes tearing up as he realized that Yugi was not happy about something. Atem moved, turning so Kysen could reach him and purring. "Hush, little one. It's fine. You haven't done anything."

Kysen quieted, giggling as he ran his hand over Atem's muzzle. The black and red dragon rolled his eyes, but allowed Kysen to continue for a short while before pulling away with a chuckle. "Just like your father, little one."

The dragon tensed as he saw the knight pause at the threshold of the great hall, looking back at them before shaking his head and getting lost in the crowd. Atem narrowed his eyes, glaring at Mahad even though the knight could no longer see them. Knowing Mahad, he probably still thought that Atem had Yugi under some spell, controlling the human to keep Yugi from carrying out his duty. Nothing that he or Yugi said had ever changed the view of the knight.

If Mahad hadn't tried to kill him, Atem could have almost allowed himself to feel pity for the knight, knowing what it felt like to watching as your whole world shattered around you. Atem had lived through it, but nothing had turned out of the same and nothing could turn it back to before. Mahad was rushing frantically to try and bring the past back, clinging to what was left of that time to try and resurrect what was never coming back. Atem shook his head with a sigh, he would never understand that knight.

Yugi turned away from his former mentor at a shout from someone who was still loitering outside. He looked up, waving with his free hand to Ryou before heading over. Atem stood up and followed his mate over to the steps, knowing that he should not bother trying to join in the reception. Yugi was ready for that too, already having made his apologies to the bride, groom and his nephew. They planned to get a start heading back down south, knowing that their group of nomads was at the furthest point of their range at this time.

Atem gave a nod to the poet, craning his head to see if he could spot the thief. For a moment, he was worried that Bakura had finally acted on his threats and had run off, leaving Ryou on his own. For all his good points, Ryou could be a bit out of it at times. Bakura was the one who grounded him, kept him firmly in the real world when his head threatened to float away. Thankfully, the thief appeared by the poet's side a moment later, smirking at the two of them. Atem took a step back, not liking the look on Bakura's face.

"Have you heard the news?"

"What news?" Yugi switched Kysen to his other arm, Atem coming up to stand behind them.

The thief gave another smile, the effect even less appealing a second time. "The story of the Morningstar and Dragonheart has been spreading like wildfire since Ryou finished it. There's a bard somewhere trying to put it to music, but isn't really having any luck."

"Really?" Atem rolled his eyes at Yugi's interest. Of course his mate would be excited about the break for Ryou, and the dragon was glad for their poet friend too. The part that made him worry was that they had no idea of what the content of that little epic was. He cleared his throat, gaining the attention of the three.

"And what, exactly are they calling this thing?"

Ryou was the one to answer. "Well, there are actually two versions, the one for the histories that Seto wants me to compile and the one that caters to the everyday people."

"Which is?"

"A tale of high adventure, great peril and romantic intrigue. Although the last part is toned down a bit when guys are around. The ladies, however, seem to love it." Ryou tapped his arm with a finger, not noticing the twin looks of shock on Atem and Yugi's faces. "I often wonder about that and have started an experiment."

Atem took a deep breath, repeating his question since Yugi couldn't seem to get his mouth working. "Which is?"

"I intend to compose a tale with is, for the most part, without a plot." Ryou blushed at the thought, scratching the back of his head. "Although, it's a bit of a stretch for me because I don't usually do such a thing…but the ladies do seem to like it. So…I'm going to do a version of the tale just for them, except with all the parts removed for the history and the general story back in."

Ryou paused and the stare that Yugi and Atem gave him, one hand still waving around from his talking. Atem watching the limb slow and finally stop as Ryou blushed furiously. "It will actually focus more on Bakura and myself as well as you two. How we each met and life with each other and so on." He paused, lowering his voice. "Without censoring events."

"Oh gods." Atem rested his head against Yugi to keep his mate standing his own mind reeling with the implications. If that ever got out…then they wouldn't be able to show their faces up here again. Or they would be too welcome up here. Atem gave a shudder, looking over Yugi's shoulder to stare at Bakura, almost laughing when he saw that Bakura had not realized that he would be included in this tale. The dragon gently nudged Yugi, drawing the man out of his stunned and horrified state. "W-we have to go. Lot's of miles to cover."

Ryou gave a smile and a nod, waving them on. "Say hello to everyone for me and Bakura. We're trying to make it down there, eventually. Bakura says he needs a break from the high class, some are starting to get suspicious."

"Of him?" Yugi shot a sideways glance at the thief, only to have Bakura smirk back at him.

"No. They think they might have a thief in their midst. Nothing more." He rubbed his hands together. "So I say let them stew over that and set up whatever traps they might like before I come back and try them again."

"Of course." Atem said dryly as he lay down on the ground, allowing Yugi to climb onto his back. He nodded at Bakura and Ryou before taking off, rising on the nearest thermal before turning himself south. His eyes slid over to the white castle on one of the far hills, the only remains of Gozaburo's influence on the land. Seto had moved back to the original castle as soon as it had been prepared and restored, not wanting to be king with that kind of image behind him.

"Oh gods." He was drawn out of his thoughts as he heard Yugi muttering to himself, turning his head around to see his mate holding Kysen securely around the waist as they flew. "All of that…and…they like it. Oh, gods."

"Don't worry, love. Ryou will change the names, hopefully."

"That's not helping."

Atem gave a small tilt to his head instead of a shrug before turning his head back in the direction they were heading, eyes narrowing as he picked up speed. He wanted to cover as much distance as he could while there were thermals and while Kysen was feeling amiable. From his back, he heard the little boy laugh, a smile breaking across his muzzle. "You like this, little one!"

Kysen clapped his hands making Atem laugh. The dragon turned his head to look at Yugi, turning his head to the side. "It's been a long time since you've flown, Yugi."

"Yes. But it was just one time."

"Mm, but you were a very attractive dragon."

Yugi perked up, suspicious for a minute. "Really?"

"Of course." Atem gave a sly smile. "And, once we get back, you can fly again."

"Is it going to end up the same way as the first time?"

Atem gave a purr in affirmation, watching as Yugi's eye became dazed for a moment before he refocused and blushed. The dragon blinked. "It wasn't that bad, was it?"

"No." The black and red dragon nodded to himself, the dreamy quality to Yugi's voice telling him all.

"And, it will be good practice for some of the more…interesting traditions we have."

"Like?" Yugi was accepting his challenge now. This was good.

"Reaffirmation flights." When Yugi said nothing, Atem turned his head back around to look his mate in the eye. "If you can catch me, you can keep me."

"Is that a challenge?"

Atem purred. "It might be."

Under the light of a few moon days later, two dragons circled each other, the soft light glittering off shiny scales. The black and red dragon brushed over his black and purple partner, enjoying the soft coo that his partner made before returned the attention to him, the two of them twisting in the moonlight, never straying far from the other.

END