#I've had this nightmare cooking ever since Atem learned of Ishval

[sennenpharaoh]

After a hard, tough, and very emotional night of reveals, fighting, yelling, and crying, he finally falls asleep in Roy's arms.

---

This is unusual, but not unwelcome. For once he opened his eyes he found himself...

"...?"

He's in his throne room, full Royal Attire. All his priests are with him. Must have been a celebration of some sort. Dancing, feasting, conversation. It's... nice. It's been a while since he's had a nice, pleasant dream like--

"Pharaoh!!! It's terrible!"

The palace doors swing open, a villager running into the palace in a panic, immediately stopped by his priest Seto.

"Who are you to enter the Palace uninvited?"

"Pharaoh, listen to me! It's terrible!" The villager continued. "The city is under attack! Giant flames enveloping whole villages! Everyone's running to hide but the flames... they keep coming! Everyone in the marketplace... they all... in one giant fire..."

"Everyone with me! We shall take down this fire assassin and bring him to the Pharaoh for judgement! Isis! Stay with the Pharaoh and make sure he's safe!" Seto took charge, calling out to all the other priests as they all left the palace in a hurry, leaving the Pharaoh and Isis.

"Unbelievable." Isis says, using her Millennium Necklace. "The attacker is setting fire to all the nearby villages. It's a single man... in blue garbs... He's... he's coming for the Palace!"

"A single man is causing all of this? That's nonsense! There's no way that one man is capable of creating the damage you're describing!" He ran out of the palace throne room, just to get a view for himself, despite Isis' pleas to stay. As he was outside and able to see what was happening...

"By the gods..."

Fire. Flames surrounding every meter of the villages around Palace. Screams of panic filled the air, mixed with the smoke billowing from the rubble of destroyed buildings, marketplaces, homes.

"What in the gods' names is..."

BOOM!

Another explosion of fire, the flames seemingly reaching as far as the eye can see, more screaming filling the air. Screaming. Crying. Panicking. A Blue Eyes White Dragon roared in the sky before being engulfed by flames. The whole nation seemed to be in chaos. Chaos of fire, panic, and more than likely... death.

"The whole nation... who could have done such a thing...?"

...

...

...

The dream continues. He's back in his throne room, but the mood is certainly much bleaker.

"Never could I have foreseen such fire and death all over the villages..." Isis laments. "So much death, so many lives lost..."

He's also devastated. All those deaths... all of his people... gone.

"Pharaoh! We have him!"

Seto and a few of the palace guards drag their caught assassin, hands bound behind them by rope, head lowered, short black hair covering their features. With a shove the priest throws the blue garbed attacker down to the ground, the voice of the pained grunt sounding... familiar. The attacker tries to get up, only to be stopped by both guards, each drawing a sword to the attacker's neck.

Wait... it can't be...

His eyes grew wide when he saw who it was. Blue garb... short black hair... using fire to attack his people...

The man killing my people... Roy? That was you...?

"The people of Egypt deserve justice, Pharaoh!" Seto exclaimed, drawing out his Millennium Rod and pointing it at the attacker. "This abomination caused the countless deaths of our people! Blood must call out for blood! With your permission, Pharaoh, I shall handle the execution of this mass murderer myself!"

"..." He felt himself reach out to the attacker as soon as he heard his cousin's declaration.

"Do not be alarmed, for I will not allow you to soil your hands with such a task." Seto brought his Millennium Rod even closer, touching the attacker's face. "I will carry out this deed."

Immediately he stood up, causing all the priests to turn around and look at him.

"Pharaoh?" Mahad asked. "Is something wrong?"

He said nothing, only moving forward until he was right in front of the attacker, looking down on him.

"Why, attacker? Why attack my people? Why cause so much death to my people?"

The attacker lifted up his head, looking straight at the Pharaoh, and answered with a simple phrase.

"I was only following orders."

"Enough!" Seto pushed the attacker's face down. "You have no right to speak to the Pharaoh like that!" He turned back to look at his cousin. "Now, Pharaoh. Do I have your permission to begin the execution?"

All he could do was stare at the attacker... at Roy... while stepping back, causing concern among his priests.

"Pharaoh, is something wrong?"

"This assassin has killed so many of our people, Pharaoh. Justice must be served! Say the word, Pharaoh, and I'll end his existence right here and now! For our people!"

He took even more steps back, covering his mouth. That's when another voice rang in the palace. A voice only he could hear.

"A King must not emote."

A gasp. F.... Father?

"A King must not show weakness. No matter what. Kings do not c--"

"Pharaoh! What are your orders?"

He just looked at Roy one more time... before slowly and quietly... lifting his hand in the air, ordering the execution.

"May the gods judge you, you heinous murderer! Guards!"

He just looked as one of the guards raised their sword, and in one swift motion, sliced the attacker, Roy, right through the neck. A thud was heard as the head hit the ground, the body dropping to the ground right after. His stomach immediately turned when the pool of blood began to form, covering his mouth with his hands to stop himself from vomiting.

Oh gods... Roy... no... what have I done...?

Tears began to form in his eyes as he continued to just look at the body, the head still looking at him with lifeless eyes.

"Pharaoh?" He could hear Mahad's voice. "Are you alright?"

He didn't respond, instead just kept looking at the decapitated body, trying not to let his tears fall. The voice of his father rang in his head yet again.

"If you become a pharaoh, you have to do something about your crying habit. A King must not emote. A King must never show weakness. A King must always smile, no matter what happens. Kings... do not..."

---

"Roy...!!!"

Atem woke with a stir, sitting up and frantically looking around.

"Roy? Roy?! Roy!!" He didn't even notice that his Colonel was laying down right next to him, seemingly sound asleep.

He's okay. He's okay. He's not dead. He's not...

Feeling tears in his eyes yet again he layed back down, tried to curl up to him as best as he could without stirring him, and just cried quietly.

"Oh dear gods, what have I done...? It was the right thing to do, but..."

Hopefully he didn't wake his Colonel with his crying fits. Wouldn't be the first time.