A/N: Hello, Hello!! It's me and I'm back!! ^_^. Once again, thank you to
you reviewers. You know who you are!!! *hugs* Thank you!!! So, I hope you
enjoy this next chapter, and as promised, it will definitely be longer than
the previous one!
*All Standard Disclaimers apply*
Tiger Lily: Part Four By: Venus
The sun shone so bright Ardeth had to close his eyes every so often to keep the reflective sun at bay. He had given his head wrap to Lily who was all too grateful to receive it. They had started early and neither she nor Ardeth had slept at all. They were both too nervous: Lily in that she was still frightened, Ardeth in that he didn't want her to run off. The heat of the day was clearly getting to her though, because Ardeth could feel her body loosing some if its tension and her head was starting to loll as though she were dropping off to sleep. Her head actually looked as though it were disconnected the way that it bobbed to and fro with the movement of his horse, her hair swaying gently with the movement.
He sighed and once again closed his eyes, reflections of her hair dancing in brilliant colors behind his eye lids. As he opened them again allowing the violently bright sun to invade his eyes he found himself wishing that he had his wrap. He wanted Lily to be comfortable, but this was starting to get very unpleasant. Hearing a call from behind him, Ardeth turned slightly to meet the glance of his men. It appeared they were hungry and wanted to take the break. Ardeth sighed and turned back ahead, tugging gently on the reins. He wished that they would keep going; they were only a few hours from the village. As they stopped, Lily seemed to perk back up and looked back to meet Ardeth's dark eyes. Her eyes shone with intelligence and relief at being able to stop. What was she so happy for? She wasn't the one with numb legs. Although Lily was lighter than he thought, sitting on a horse with her on his lap for hours at a time tended to leave the blood nowhere to go.
Lily leaned forward to allow Ardeth to swing off of the horse first. A quite groan escaped his parched lips as his legs hit the sand, a dull ache starting up his legs as the blood was jostled into movement again. He reached both hands up to Lily, who still looked extremely nervous. Reluctantly, she allowed Ardeth to hook his hands onto her waist and help her down. Ardeth shivered as her thin fingers held onto his shoulders, and she slid gracefully off of his silver-studded saddle. She landed with equally unstable legs, letting out a small squeak of discomfort. Ardeth offered her a weak smile; one that she feebly returned. Ardeth was about to turn and guide her to the rest of the group when she tugged uncertainly at the black cloth covering his shoulders. Surprised, Ardeth turned to meet her tentative gaze. She shifted on her feet and kicked nervously at the sand. She clearly wanted something, but -it was hard to describe- it seemed as though she were too embarrassed to ask. Rocking impatiently, with her hand still on his robe, she pulled him close. Confused, Ardeth leaned down to her mouth, forgetting about his handicap of not being able to understand her. She whispered something urgently into his ear, and fidgeted with her hands. Ardeth just stared blankly at her. Whatever she wanted, she seemed to really need it. Ardeth tried as hard as he could to even catch some key words while she seemed to be coming close to tears. Fearing another outburst, Ardeth lifted his hands, trying to quite her before the cries came bursting out of her mouth. Getting frustrated even further she looked frantically about, looking for something.
Ardeth didn't quite know what to do with her. He saw her look frantically around and she seemed desperate for whatever it was she wanted. Suddenly her face flushed a bright red and she pointed a shaking finger to a point just beyond his shoulder. Looking back saw at least two of his men urinating into the sand. He turned back to her, a small smile tugging at his lips. Her face was a deeper shade of red than the sand she stood on, and her hand was covering her eyes. 'Of course', Ardeth thought to himself. 'I should have known.'
Ardeth looked around for something to offer her at least a little bit of privacy. And, as he knew, there was nothing but sand. Lot's and lot's of sand. Turning back to her, Ardeth tried to hide his look of amusement. What an impression for his future wife, huh? Lily sighed in exasperation and gave him a pained, pointed look. Ardeth nodded to show he understood then took her hand, leading her to the top of a hill. He pointed down and gave her a reassuring look. She just glared back at him like something had just spouted out of his forehead. Tension mounted as she continued to stare at him. What more did she want from him?
"It's the best I could do." He said, trying to redeem himself even though she could understand him as well as he understood her, which was not at all. She shook her head, as if trying to shake the disbelief from her head and turned him around, pushing him in the opposite direction, huffing loudly as she did so. Ardeth looked back, unsure for some reason and she gave him a look that seemed to say "I'm a big girl." Ardeth couldn't help but allow the smile tugging at his lips to become a full blown smile. Sometimes the simplest things happened to be the funniest.
As he wandered back to his horse, he could see one of the packs bulging. Wondering what he had forgotten he'd put in there he went to open it. Much to his delight, the shawl and face covering the women made for Lily came tumbling out of the clasped bag, its metal pieces clinking together. Ardeth handled it carefully and examined it. He was relieved that it was indeed too big for her.
"Hey, Ardeth," Ardeth turned abruptly to his name being called. "Your wife's taking a run for it." Slowly, almost dreading what he would see he made his way over to the hill where he left her, and looked down the slope. Sure enough, Lily was plodding down the hill, her hair flying wildly behind her. She tripped once or twice in the deep sand and fell to the earth in a cloud of dust, but was up and running again in no time. Ardeth sighed deeply. This was beginning to become a lot more trouble than it was worth. He had hoped that whatever she said to him last night would mean the end of this, but apparently not. Ardeth took his time, cracking his neck, and removing heavy articles of clothes before he plunged down the hill, kicking up sand in his pursuit. Forget his horse; he could catch her on his own, and hopefully prove a point in the process.
She looked back periodically, and Ardeth caught her wild gaze as he rushed after her. Either he was a lot faster than he thought, or she was a lot slower. He couldn't tell which. He presumed it was himself and the adrenaline coursing through his veins. As he neared her, she looked back and shouted at him, as if threatening him to stop chasing her. Ardeth continued to get close, but as he neared her, she must have put on some extra speed because from then on it seemed he could get no closer to her retreating form. Ardeth weighed his options, and after a second more pursuit and feeling his legs start to burn, he threw all of his weight at her. His hands caught her waist and his shoulder buried itself into her back, flinging them both into the sand, her startled shriek breaking the tense silence
Ardeth stood, his hands locking her own in their grasp. She was coughing and cursing at him (At least it sounded like she was) and she decided then and there to not help him any. Stifling a sob, she went limp in his arms, attempting to keep him from taking her anywhere. Not to be outdone, Ardeth picked her up and unceremoniously draped her over his broad shoulder. As soon as she was there however, she decided to be even worse. She kicked out and started to scream. Ardeth was angry, but recognized the underlying emotion as well. Fear. He was afraid; afraid that for a moment there, he had almost lost her. Through their labored breathing, neither could say a word, but each of them wanted to give the other a piece of their mind; Ardeth could feel it.
He hiked back up the hill, his wife draped over his shoulder. She had abandoned her efforts of being set loose and now held her chin in her hand disinterestedly, her elbow supporting her on his back. Reaching the hilltop, he dropped her with a thud onto the ground, a cloud of dust erupting where she landed. She didn't say anything, instead hung her head, refusing to allow her face to be seen. Ardeth had the suspicion that that she was crying and felt his anger ebb away to be replaced by sympathy. The poor thing didn't know where she was, where she was going, or even why she was being taken in the first place. He would have tried to explain it to her before, but what was the use? She wouldn't be able to understand anyway.
The head wrapping that was intended for her was hanging from his belt where he had hastily shoved it before running after her. His tan, tattooed hands reached for his, which was still hanging from her slender form. She looked up as he began to pull it away from her. Her eyes held in them the pain that her soul must have felt. Ardeth sighed in resignation and finished pulling the thick black cloth from her thin shoulders. How could he possibly stay mad at something so misunderstood? Her brown eyes glimmered with even more tears as he unfolded her wrap, the pendants reflecting the overwhelming sun. Ardeth draped it around her shoulders and took her chin in his hand, forcing her teary eyes to look into his. "Enough." He said. She looked away and looking extremely guilty, pulled the sheer black material to a better position on her body. Ardeth walked away from her, somehow certain that she would not run again, but paused slightly when he heard her break out into sobs again.
'I'm sorry.' He said to himself, but wishing somehow that she would understand. He didn't want this to be as painful for her as it was proving to be. Doubt was gnawing at his heart. He wanted to be married, to move on with his life; to have a beautiful wife like her, and kids. All his life he had thought that this day would never come, and now that it was here, it seemed that it was not worth all of the trouble. With Lily's sobs behind him, and the glaring sun in front of him, Ardeth walked further into the doubt which surrounded him. Hopefully this confusion would not last long.
To be continued.
A/N: OHHH!!! What will happen when they reach the Medjai village? Sorry, I'm just trying to keep you guys interested. Tell me if this is moving too fast, or too slow. I think maybe I'm dragging this on just a little bit longer than I should. Please review and tell me what you think. Also, I am open to suggestions as to what you guys would like to see it this story, ok? Please let me know what you think!!
*All Standard Disclaimers apply*
Tiger Lily: Part Four By: Venus
The sun shone so bright Ardeth had to close his eyes every so often to keep the reflective sun at bay. He had given his head wrap to Lily who was all too grateful to receive it. They had started early and neither she nor Ardeth had slept at all. They were both too nervous: Lily in that she was still frightened, Ardeth in that he didn't want her to run off. The heat of the day was clearly getting to her though, because Ardeth could feel her body loosing some if its tension and her head was starting to loll as though she were dropping off to sleep. Her head actually looked as though it were disconnected the way that it bobbed to and fro with the movement of his horse, her hair swaying gently with the movement.
He sighed and once again closed his eyes, reflections of her hair dancing in brilliant colors behind his eye lids. As he opened them again allowing the violently bright sun to invade his eyes he found himself wishing that he had his wrap. He wanted Lily to be comfortable, but this was starting to get very unpleasant. Hearing a call from behind him, Ardeth turned slightly to meet the glance of his men. It appeared they were hungry and wanted to take the break. Ardeth sighed and turned back ahead, tugging gently on the reins. He wished that they would keep going; they were only a few hours from the village. As they stopped, Lily seemed to perk back up and looked back to meet Ardeth's dark eyes. Her eyes shone with intelligence and relief at being able to stop. What was she so happy for? She wasn't the one with numb legs. Although Lily was lighter than he thought, sitting on a horse with her on his lap for hours at a time tended to leave the blood nowhere to go.
Lily leaned forward to allow Ardeth to swing off of the horse first. A quite groan escaped his parched lips as his legs hit the sand, a dull ache starting up his legs as the blood was jostled into movement again. He reached both hands up to Lily, who still looked extremely nervous. Reluctantly, she allowed Ardeth to hook his hands onto her waist and help her down. Ardeth shivered as her thin fingers held onto his shoulders, and she slid gracefully off of his silver-studded saddle. She landed with equally unstable legs, letting out a small squeak of discomfort. Ardeth offered her a weak smile; one that she feebly returned. Ardeth was about to turn and guide her to the rest of the group when she tugged uncertainly at the black cloth covering his shoulders. Surprised, Ardeth turned to meet her tentative gaze. She shifted on her feet and kicked nervously at the sand. She clearly wanted something, but -it was hard to describe- it seemed as though she were too embarrassed to ask. Rocking impatiently, with her hand still on his robe, she pulled him close. Confused, Ardeth leaned down to her mouth, forgetting about his handicap of not being able to understand her. She whispered something urgently into his ear, and fidgeted with her hands. Ardeth just stared blankly at her. Whatever she wanted, she seemed to really need it. Ardeth tried as hard as he could to even catch some key words while she seemed to be coming close to tears. Fearing another outburst, Ardeth lifted his hands, trying to quite her before the cries came bursting out of her mouth. Getting frustrated even further she looked frantically about, looking for something.
Ardeth didn't quite know what to do with her. He saw her look frantically around and she seemed desperate for whatever it was she wanted. Suddenly her face flushed a bright red and she pointed a shaking finger to a point just beyond his shoulder. Looking back saw at least two of his men urinating into the sand. He turned back to her, a small smile tugging at his lips. Her face was a deeper shade of red than the sand she stood on, and her hand was covering her eyes. 'Of course', Ardeth thought to himself. 'I should have known.'
Ardeth looked around for something to offer her at least a little bit of privacy. And, as he knew, there was nothing but sand. Lot's and lot's of sand. Turning back to her, Ardeth tried to hide his look of amusement. What an impression for his future wife, huh? Lily sighed in exasperation and gave him a pained, pointed look. Ardeth nodded to show he understood then took her hand, leading her to the top of a hill. He pointed down and gave her a reassuring look. She just glared back at him like something had just spouted out of his forehead. Tension mounted as she continued to stare at him. What more did she want from him?
"It's the best I could do." He said, trying to redeem himself even though she could understand him as well as he understood her, which was not at all. She shook her head, as if trying to shake the disbelief from her head and turned him around, pushing him in the opposite direction, huffing loudly as she did so. Ardeth looked back, unsure for some reason and she gave him a look that seemed to say "I'm a big girl." Ardeth couldn't help but allow the smile tugging at his lips to become a full blown smile. Sometimes the simplest things happened to be the funniest.
As he wandered back to his horse, he could see one of the packs bulging. Wondering what he had forgotten he'd put in there he went to open it. Much to his delight, the shawl and face covering the women made for Lily came tumbling out of the clasped bag, its metal pieces clinking together. Ardeth handled it carefully and examined it. He was relieved that it was indeed too big for her.
"Hey, Ardeth," Ardeth turned abruptly to his name being called. "Your wife's taking a run for it." Slowly, almost dreading what he would see he made his way over to the hill where he left her, and looked down the slope. Sure enough, Lily was plodding down the hill, her hair flying wildly behind her. She tripped once or twice in the deep sand and fell to the earth in a cloud of dust, but was up and running again in no time. Ardeth sighed deeply. This was beginning to become a lot more trouble than it was worth. He had hoped that whatever she said to him last night would mean the end of this, but apparently not. Ardeth took his time, cracking his neck, and removing heavy articles of clothes before he plunged down the hill, kicking up sand in his pursuit. Forget his horse; he could catch her on his own, and hopefully prove a point in the process.
She looked back periodically, and Ardeth caught her wild gaze as he rushed after her. Either he was a lot faster than he thought, or she was a lot slower. He couldn't tell which. He presumed it was himself and the adrenaline coursing through his veins. As he neared her, she looked back and shouted at him, as if threatening him to stop chasing her. Ardeth continued to get close, but as he neared her, she must have put on some extra speed because from then on it seemed he could get no closer to her retreating form. Ardeth weighed his options, and after a second more pursuit and feeling his legs start to burn, he threw all of his weight at her. His hands caught her waist and his shoulder buried itself into her back, flinging them both into the sand, her startled shriek breaking the tense silence
Ardeth stood, his hands locking her own in their grasp. She was coughing and cursing at him (At least it sounded like she was) and she decided then and there to not help him any. Stifling a sob, she went limp in his arms, attempting to keep him from taking her anywhere. Not to be outdone, Ardeth picked her up and unceremoniously draped her over his broad shoulder. As soon as she was there however, she decided to be even worse. She kicked out and started to scream. Ardeth was angry, but recognized the underlying emotion as well. Fear. He was afraid; afraid that for a moment there, he had almost lost her. Through their labored breathing, neither could say a word, but each of them wanted to give the other a piece of their mind; Ardeth could feel it.
He hiked back up the hill, his wife draped over his shoulder. She had abandoned her efforts of being set loose and now held her chin in her hand disinterestedly, her elbow supporting her on his back. Reaching the hilltop, he dropped her with a thud onto the ground, a cloud of dust erupting where she landed. She didn't say anything, instead hung her head, refusing to allow her face to be seen. Ardeth had the suspicion that that she was crying and felt his anger ebb away to be replaced by sympathy. The poor thing didn't know where she was, where she was going, or even why she was being taken in the first place. He would have tried to explain it to her before, but what was the use? She wouldn't be able to understand anyway.
The head wrapping that was intended for her was hanging from his belt where he had hastily shoved it before running after her. His tan, tattooed hands reached for his, which was still hanging from her slender form. She looked up as he began to pull it away from her. Her eyes held in them the pain that her soul must have felt. Ardeth sighed in resignation and finished pulling the thick black cloth from her thin shoulders. How could he possibly stay mad at something so misunderstood? Her brown eyes glimmered with even more tears as he unfolded her wrap, the pendants reflecting the overwhelming sun. Ardeth draped it around her shoulders and took her chin in his hand, forcing her teary eyes to look into his. "Enough." He said. She looked away and looking extremely guilty, pulled the sheer black material to a better position on her body. Ardeth walked away from her, somehow certain that she would not run again, but paused slightly when he heard her break out into sobs again.
'I'm sorry.' He said to himself, but wishing somehow that she would understand. He didn't want this to be as painful for her as it was proving to be. Doubt was gnawing at his heart. He wanted to be married, to move on with his life; to have a beautiful wife like her, and kids. All his life he had thought that this day would never come, and now that it was here, it seemed that it was not worth all of the trouble. With Lily's sobs behind him, and the glaring sun in front of him, Ardeth walked further into the doubt which surrounded him. Hopefully this confusion would not last long.
To be continued.
A/N: OHHH!!! What will happen when they reach the Medjai village? Sorry, I'm just trying to keep you guys interested. Tell me if this is moving too fast, or too slow. I think maybe I'm dragging this on just a little bit longer than I should. Please review and tell me what you think. Also, I am open to suggestions as to what you guys would like to see it this story, ok? Please let me know what you think!!