Her Green Eyes

by HLecter511

She was adopted at a young age; she learned what her guardian wanted her to learn, whether it was history, fighting, or life itself; she gained friends; she gained an interest in someone, who expressed their interest in her and her emerald green color eyes; and now, she was being pulled in an adventure of a lifetime.

2. Chapter 2

Chapter:Emerald Teardrop

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….. A Few Weeks Later: …..

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As the days turned into weeks, the night that Althea met Ardeth Bay, was the start of something. She continued to see him more and more around the museum that it became common.

Ardeth was two years older than her and the new chieftain of his tribe. He was always coming in to gather information from Dr. Bey, instead of sending someone to get the information for him. Ardeth found the pleasure to come himself.

Althea was putting books away, pushing the sliding ladder across the bookshelves to one end to another, and sliding books back into place. Once the task was done, she moved down the ladder to make her way over to the cart that held a couple more books that need to be put away. As Althea stepped up to the cart, a figure moved in her peripheral vision that caused her to whirl around with alertness, but relaxed at who it was.

"Ardeth."

"Althea." Ardeth bowed his head to her.

"Looking for Dr. Bey?"

"Yes."

"Last time I checked with him, he was going through scrolls and putting them on display toward the back of the museum." Althea informed Ardeth as she moved by him to turn down an aisle.

"Thank you, Althea." Ardeth said from behind her causing her to whirl around and her eyes narrow on him.

"You walk way too silently."

"A Medjai is taught to do so." Ardeth told her as he watched her put the books away then she faced him.

"Aren't you supposed to find Dr. Bey?"

"I wanted to ask you how are you?"

Althea blinked slowly at him then looked away to see Evy walk into the room with stacks of scrolls piled up in her arms. Behind her was Jonathan, waving a bottle of alcohol around, rambling about some random nonsense like always. When Althea turned back to Ardeth, she saw him step back into the shadows that the bookshelves gave off. He hid from the sight of the siblings.

"I'm doing fine. I am just working as usual and helping Dr. Bey with reorganizing the place." Althea whispered to him since he was hiding from Evy and Jonathan.

"Good. I must go now." Ardeth turned away from her to begin to walk toward the back of the museum.

"How has your days been going?"

Ardeth paused and turned halfway around to stare at her with raised eyebrows. Althea crossed her arms over her chest and leaned heavily on her right foot with a tilt of her head.

"It's only fair for me to ask you, right?" Althea told him.

"Yes, yes it's only fair. I have been doing well."

"You have been coming here a lot lately. Frequently may I add."

"There's much that I need to know about what goes on within Cairo."

"Does this have anything to do with a lot of trespassers going to the City of the Dead lately?"

"How did you know? Did you hear someone whispering about ideas to go?" Ardeth stepped up to her, his eyes searching hers.

"No, but I know that your warriors and you protect the City. Then Dr. Bey teaching me some information lessons about the Medjai. I put the pieces of the puzzle together and figure that there has to be things going on around the City that you are guarding for you to come here more than usual." Althea explained with slight raised eyebrows.

"You're correct on your pieces of the puzzle coming together. More people have been appearing, more than usual."

"People want to make discoveries."

"And that is when we step in." Ardeth said as he stepped closer to her and reached out with his right hand to touch the back of Althea's left shoulder.

The outfit that Althea was wearing was a black knee length pencil skirt, white sleeveless three button up blouse and a black cardigan over that. Yet she had taken the cardigan off because the museum air felt a bit stuffy.

His fingertips touched the back of her left shoulder where the tattoo of the Medjai symbol was on her left shoulder blade. Ardeth caught sight of it a week ago and question Dr. Bey about it. Ardeth learned that Althea had it branded on her when she was just a young child. It shocked Ardeth that Althea would be branded with the mark, but he noted that it had an extra mark beside it. A hieroglyphics that symbolized 'heal.' To Ardeth, he found it a bit odd, but then Dr. Bey pointed out that Althea's name meant, 'to heal.' For that fact, it made Ardeth to believe that Althea was supposed to be some type of healer amongst them. Or was it coincidence that her name matched the small symbol signaling 'heal' on her back.

Althea eyes widen a little when Ardeth touched the tattooed mark, showing that he knew about the Medjai brand on her back. Ardeth gave her a small grin that made her to loosen up as she could see that he meant no harm to her.

"Althea, you around?" Evy called out from somewhere in the room.

"Coming." Althea called in return as she looked behind her to make sure that Evy wasn't coming to look for her.

Turning back to face Ardeth, he slowly took his hand off Althea back and took away the warmness that he gave off.

"See you again, Althea."

"See you later, Ardeth." Althea nodded, and turned on her heels to walk away from him.

Ardeth stood in the aisle of the bookshelves, watching Althea walk away. Parts of the Medjai brand on her back peeked out from underneath her top.

"She's an interesting one. Father was right." Ardeth whispered with a smirk then turned on his heels to walk further into the museum to seek out Dr. Bey to talk.

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….. Two Years Later: …..

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In a couple of days, she would be turning thirty. Althea still worked at the antique museum as Dr. Bey assistant alongside Evy.

The two women had been doing a lot of work as of late, especially with new artifacts coming in as more and more explorers and researchers had been coming into the area to do research. Those that lived around the area, sometimes politely donated to the museum to keep the artifacts in safe hands, away from treasure hunters.

Carrying a clipboard with papers of information about the new arrival of ancient statues, Althea was heading toward the small filing room to file away the information. As she moved around the dim lit museum, Althea felt as if eyes were on her.

Moving through a thin alleyway of bookshelves and turning around a corner, Althea whipped the clipboard out to smack whatever came near her only to have her right wrist grasped and her back to be pressed gently up against a bookshelf.

"I swear one of these days I am going to actually hit you good."

"Hello to you too, Althea."

Althea pale green eyes narrowed and the corner of her lips twitched up, trying to hold back the amusement as she was staring at a smirking Ardeth Bay.

"I'm debating whether or not to buy you a bracelet with a bell on it." Althea said, staring up at him as he was almost pressing up against her.

For the past two years of getting to know one another, there had been clear tension between the two. Not in an argument or get into a fight sort of way, but rather, neither one would make the first move to on each other.

"As I tell you, Medjai have to be silent when we sneak up on our enemies." Ardeth told her as he let go of Althea wrist to hold his hand up with his pointer finger up to point out his fact.

"True, but I am not your enemy." Althea reached up to poke Ardeth on the nose causing his nose to twitch under her touch.

"That is true. Though I have to say that your alertness and senses are very good." Ardeth grinned.

"And your reaction is good too."

"You help me sharpen them up with you trying to swing at me every time."

"Well, don't sneak up on me and we won't have that problem."

"Then how will I ever train." He said jokily causing Althea to place her hands on his chest and shove him back a little to allow room between them.

"I think that you can figure out a way." Althea told him as she walked away from him, shooting him a grin over her left shoulder as she enter the small filing room.

Entering the room after her, Ardeth leaned against a file cabinet as he watched Althea talk to herself in a low tone. She was trying to figure out where the paperwork that she had in her hands supposed to go.

"So tell me, are you here to see Dr. Bey?"

"Yes."

"Is this about you reporting about seeing trespassers at the City or if we know anything about trespassers that could be entering the City as of late?"

"Both."

Althea nodded her head and pressed her hands against the file cabinet to push the cabinet shut. She turned to face Ardeth, and lean her back against the front of the file cabinets. Althea crossed her arms over her chest and tilted her head to the side, waiting for Ardeth to inform her more about the reason he came here for.

As of late, Dr. Bey had been keeping Althea presence in the room with Ardeth and him. Dr. Bey would talk about any sort of news that he had heard or Ardeth would inform them to keep a look out for so and so. The reason for Althea to listen in on these conversation was to get her more involved, since in a way, she was Dr. Bey's heir and was the one to take over when he could do this no more.

"There has been rumors that an expedition will be happening to the City. I came here to ask if Dr. Bey or you had heard anything more about this information, especially about who was traveling."

Althea pushed off the filing cabinets to walk out of the room to start to walk into the direction of the stairs to go to the next floor where Dr. Bey's office was located.

"I did overhear someone saying that Egyptologist Dr. Allen Chamberlain was going to be present with Americans." Althea answered Ardeth as the two walked down the hallways that looked out at the busy Cairo streets and markets.

"Where did you hear this?"

"Oh, I sort of got dragged by Jonathan with Evy to this bar. Sat next to drunken men that were having a poker game going on and gossiping." Althea informed Ardeth, walking around a corner.

Althea was halted as a hand wrapped around her left forearm to tug her back to face Ardeth. Her widen eyes shot up to meet Ardeth eyes, where Althea saw him stare down at her with seriousness.

"I understand that you are starting to learn the ways of how Dr. Bey is a contact person, but I wish for you to not go in such places for that sort of information."

"Ardeth, I was with Jonathan and Eve."

"But around drunken men?"

She searched Ardeth's eyes to see the seriousness on his face, and his eyes told a different story of emotions. There was a mixture of concern and what appeared to be jealousy in his chocolate brown eyes.

Althea rested her free hand on his hand that gripped her forearm, giving his hand a small tenderly squeeze. She watched his expression to soften, especially as she was giving him an understanding and reassuring grin.

"You have to trust me, Ardeth."

The chocolate brown eyes were hidden behind the eyelids as Ardeth shut his eyes, and let out a low, but long exhale from his mouth. He reopen his eyes and gave her a small nod.

Ardeth knew that he had to trust and put faith in Althea, to let her know that she could do this. She was the future contact when Dr. Bey could not be the contact anymore. Yet, the thought of Althea around the presence of men, especially in the bar atmosphere that she was in, Ardeth felt himself become concern but also, jealous. Jealous at the fact that men talked to her and she talked back in order to gain information.

The emotions began to become too much, which caused Ardeth to give his mind a mental shake. He knew that Althea was not the type of woman that would use herself to get information out of people. Ardeth knew that Althea was the type of woman that had the personality of being kindhearted yet determine. She drew people in due to her personality.

The two let go of each other after a moment without anymore words exchange. Althea resumed in the walk, leading Ardeth down the hallway to Dr. Bey's office. Ardeth stopped her once again before they could enter into Dr. Bey's office.

"Is something wrong?"

"Your birthday is in two days. I do not know if we are to see each other during that time, but I wish to give you a gift."

"What? A gift? Ardeth you did not have to do that." Althea held her hands up, shaking them at him as she was surprise that he got her a gift for her birthday.

"I had also dropped off a small box of honey cakes, or as you call them, fold over pie from my maman."

"Oh, I love your mother's cooking. What's the filling this time?"

"I believe she said it was apples and nuts."

Althea mouth became watery at the thought of the sweets that Ardeth brought her. The day that she tried sweets from his mother, Nahla, Althea made sure to inform Ardeth to inform his mother that she made wonderful sweets, and continue to make them.

"She wishes you a happy birthday."

"Sweet woman."

"And I wish to give you this from me." Ardeth pulled out a box from within his robes, holding the small black box out for her to accept.

Althea reached out to take the box from Ardeth with a small grin on her lips. She glanced up at him and saw how Ardeth stared around the room, other than her. His hands were clasped behind his back and he kept himself preoccupied with their surroundings while she open his gift.

A gasp escaped Althea once she had pulled the cover to the box off and she saw what was inside.

"Ardeth, this must've costed a good amount."

"Do not worry about it."

"But—" Althea stop speaking when Ardeth held his hand up for her to say no more.

With gentleness, Althea picked the necklace out of the box.

The chain was sturdy, and a chain that could withstand harsh treatment. What caught her eyes the most was the emerald crystal teardrop that hung from the necklace.

Althea held the necklace high enough for the sunlight beaming through the window to hit the necklace. The emerald crystal teardrop glowed. A smile was on Althea's lips the whole time as she gazed at the necklace, and not realizing that Ardeth was staring gently at her.

"Will you help me put it on?" Althea asked bravely.

The air felt thicker than usual and it was obvious to the two. It was painfully obvious the tension between the two, especially when Ardeth would seek her out to speak with her or he would check in on her.

"Of course." Ardeth answered.

He took the necklace from her and waited until Althea turned her back to him. She lifted her long wavy dark brown hair away from her neck to allow him to put her necklace on.

The necklace was clasped together, and Ardeth made a bold move by brushing his fingertips against the back of her neck. He stepped back as she dropped her hair and turned to face him, her eyes holding curiosity for his action.

Those green eyes of Althea's lured him in. He felt himself step closer to her, needing to inform Althea something that has bene bugging him. He knew that he need to take action now.

"Althea, there is something that I wish to discuss with you."

"Oh? What is that?"

"I wish to—" Ardeth did not say anymore as the door to Dr. Bey's office swung open.

In the doorway stood Dr. Bey, who was glancing between Althea and Ardeth with a curious look.

"Why is it that I always catch you two like this?"

"I don't know." Althea shrugged her shoulders.

Ardeth found himself shrug his shoulders too.

Dr. Bey shook his head and took a step back to allow Ardeth and Althea into his office, shutting the door softly behind them.

The whole time in the office, Ardeth and Althea would sneak glances at each other without the other knowing.

The emerald crystal teardrop was glistening above Althea's cleavage, perfectly contrasting against her light tan skin, and matching her unique green eyes.

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